NCIS: Bite Mark
by Krynnalexia
Summary: Team Gibbs finds the body of a Navy Lt. with peculiar marks on her neck. Angel shows up claiming to be on the trail of a vicious killer he has been tracking for months. Together the two teams hunt down the vampire causing trouble in D.C.
1. Chapter 1

**NCIS**

**Bite Mark**

The morning of Monday, July 12th turned out to be better than most Mondays. Compared to a normal Monday, where most of the agents at NCIS were sleep deprived, usually late to rise, and moody, they were instead bright, cheery and alert. Abby Scuito, NCIS forensic scientist, bounced merrily into the bullpen at 0700 to greet her favorite team of agents. She wrapped her black laced arms around Tony DiNozzo tightly and squeezed. He returned the sibling like gesture with equal enthusiasm, even though his hands were full.

"Morning Abs." He smiled at her and kissed her forehead. He had picked up that habit after watching his boss do it so many times. He turned to his partner, Timothy McGee, who was sitting at his desk typing furiously at the keyboard. "McGee! You're unusually rosy cheeked this morning. How did your date go last night?"

Tony tossed his bag and coat behind his desk. He moved to stand in front of McGee's, hovering over his computer monitor, much to Tim's annoyance.

"Sorry, Tony. It was a perfect night and I will not give you details to harass me with later."

"Come on, McGoo. Tell me. You know you want to," Tony teased his friend.

"No, I don't. Besides, you'll only pick on me for not doing what you told me to." McGee continued to type up the case report from the previous night. It had been late and his boss told him to get some sleep and finish it in the morning.

Tony leaned on his partner's desk and grinned. "You didn't take her to that boring play, did you, Probie? Cuz, I warned you about boring the girl."

"Not going to tell you, Tony."

Abby giggled at the two agents. She wasn't seen in the bullpen very often. When she was, she always caught a glimpse into their more personal lives. Tony picked on Tim a lot, but he still admired the junior agent.

"Aww, McGee…"

Tony felt a quick, well aimed smack on the back of his head. "Morning, Boss. McGee and I were just…"

"Save it. We got a body. Grab your gear."

Leroy Jethro Gibbs set his coffee cup on his desk. He grabbed both his badge and his sig from the top drawer and proceeded to the elevator with his coffee in hand once more.

"On your six, Boss." Tony responded. He was ahead of Gibbs when he noticed that their other team member, Ziva David, had still not arrived. "Where's Ziva?"

"Already there, DiNozzo. Let's go."

"Right, Boss."

"Gibbs!" Abby yelled, feeling slightly hurt that she had been completely ignored.

Tony and Tim waited for Gibbs in the elevator, a smile on their faces. Gibbs turned around and walked back to kiss his gothic forensic tech on the cheek, "Morning, Abs."

"Morning, Gibbs. Bring me something good." Upon the Gibbs glare, she revised, "I mean of course, good evidence so we can wrap up the case quickly."

He curtly nodded his head and entered the elevator. He slammed his fist on the first floor button. He hated being late to a crime scene. The fact that Abby was the reason for it, was the only reason Gibbs wasn't yelling. She did get special treatment, but what else did they expect. Abby was like a daughter to Gibbs.

**At the crime scene:**

Team Gibbs arrived at Quantico Naval Base, the crime scene, in record time thanks to Gibbs insane driving. Surprisingly enough, Jimmy Palmer and Dr. Mallard, were able to keep up. They arrived shortly after the team did. Gibbs and his agents met Ziva at the gate. She had been out for a run when the call came in. Her apartment was nearby and she met them at the scene as instructed.

"Break out the gear, McGee…David. Tony, you're with me."

"You got it, Boss." Tony hurried to Gibbs side and the pair walked toward the body.

As the two approached, their eyes met a strange sight. Gibbs eyes narrowed. Tony walked around and knelt down next to the dead Lt. The body was sprawled unnaturally on the pavement. The woman's head was turned to the side. She was pale, but missing the tell tale signs of oxygen depravation. No blue fingers or lips and her eyes were clear of stippling. She did have two, perfectly spaced pin prick wounds on her neck.

"No way. Oh, Abby is going to have a field day with this." Tony grinned.

Tim and Ziva, carrying the necessary equipment, finally came into view of the body. Their eyes were drawn to the dead woman's neck. Ziva didn't seem to understand, but Tim did.

"Wait till Abby gets a load of this."

Gibbs gave the famous glare and the others suddenly became busy with something in their bags. He shook his head, knowing that what they were saying was probably true. His eccentric lab tech would be overly excited about what the marks suggested.

"Ziva, take statements. McGee, bag and tag. DiNozzo, sketch and shoot."

Without a word, the three got straight to work. Dr. Mallard was already using the liver probe on the deceased. Gibbs knelt next to him, a pad and pencil in hand.

"What do we got, Duck?"

"Well, I guess I could state the obvious, but I know how you feel about that sort of thing. I estimate that she has been dead around four hours. That would make her time of death at 0300." Dr. Mallard said.

"Cause of death?" Gibbs continued.

"From the looks of things, I would conclude that it was a massive loss of blood."

"Where's the blood, Duck?"

"I would imagine the killer drained her of it somewhere else and then dumped the body here. I'll know more when I get her home. Mr. Palmer, the gurney, if you would, please."

"What do you make of those marks?" Gibbs asked, pointing to the tiny pin pricks in the neck.

"I suppose they could have been made from any small, cylindrical object. I'll make a mold of them when I'm finished with the autopsy."

Tony came to start photographing the body. He snapped off a couple of pictures then said while laughing, "So, we're looking for a vampire right?"

"Anthony, as much as I agree that the marks were made to look like a vampire made them, I am positive that is not the case. What we have here is a murder by a person who is very much alive."

Jimmy Palmer brought the gurney as instructed and the two of them lifted the dead Lt. onto it. They zipped her up and headed for the medical examiner van.

The team came together, "Ziva, what do we know?"

"The two men who found her are Petty Officers Mike Bradley and Evan Kurns. They were returning from a party at a friend's house. They claim they heard a scream and then nothing but whimpers. When they investigated, they saw a man holding Lt. Lake. They claim he threw her to the ground and then proceeded run and then jump over the main gate in a single bound."

Tony and Tim looked at her, utterly speechless. None of what she said sounded normal. They glanced at each other. Gibbs stared at her for a moment.

"You believed them, Officer David?" Gibbs asked, coming toward her.

Ziva backed up slightly, "No…but I asked several times and even threatened them. Their story never changed. They swear on their mothers that what they saw was for real."

"DiNozzo, get those photos to Abby. Have her go over them. Get with the Commander. I want all the security footage in and around the base. All of it, not just the gate, DiNozzo."

"On it, Boss."

"McGee."

"Yes, Boss?"

"Go through her bank statements, credit card transactions, and her cell phone. I want to know where Lt. Lake was last night."

"Got it, Boss."

**NCIS Headquarters:**

"Tony, why were you all giggling at the crime scene?" Ziva asked, keeping her voice low. She didn't want Gibbs to surprise her with a smack to the back of the head.

"Oh, come on, Ziva. Don't tell me you don't know what that looked like?"

"No, I don't. What exactly did it look like to you? All I saw was a dead Navy Lt."

"Vampires…Ziva."

"Vampires? You've got to be kidding me, Tony."

"Didn't you see the significance, Ziva?" When she shook her head, Tim continued, "The equally spaced marks on her neck that looked like bite marks. The fact that her entire body was drained of blood, but there was no blood at the scene. The Petty Officers claimed that the suspect threw her body and then jumped over the main gate in one leap. That is all evidence that sounds very much like a vampire."

"McGee, there is no such thing as vampires. They are legends, stories."

"The term is myth and so what. You never thought that crazy things could be lurking in the night?" Tony asked.

"Of all people, Tony, I would have thought that you would know better then to believe in fairytales."

"I'm not saying that I do. I'm just saying that there are some that do. Abby being one of them. But you have to admit, Ziva, that the killer has gone to great lengths to make it look like that is exactly what happened."

"Maybe its true."

Tony, Ziva and Tim all jumped. They hadn't heard anyone approach and didn't expect to see the man standing before them. He was tall, with short brown hair and dark eyes. He wore a long black trench coat over black slacks and a garnet button down shirt. His hands were in his pocket and he was lazily leaning on the outer wall of their cubicle.

His voice had been low, but was definitely intimidating. Tony was reminded of Gibbs and the way he snuck up on the team.

"Who are you?" Tony's hand was close to his side, ready to draw his sig if necessary.

"Angel."

"You don't have a visitors badge. How did you get in here?"

The stranger ignored his question. "I heard about your case. I thought I could help."

"Which case would that be?"

"You found a woman this morning at Quantico Naval Base with two matching marks on her neck. I think I can help."

"How is it that you know about this case…Mr. Angel?" Ziva asked, backing up and taking a good look at the man before her.

"It's just Angel. I have my sources."

"That's not good enough. Answer Officer David's question." Tony ordered.

"I did. Do you want my help or not?" Angel asked.

"That depends."

Gibbs came up behind the stranger in black, but it hadn't had the desired effect. The man didn't jump in surprise as most people did. He didn't seem intimidated by Gibbs presence. He didn't even seem to acknowledge that he was there by turning to look at him. He remained exactly where he was. Gibbs was forced to come around and face him.

"You're lead on the investigation?"

"Yeah. Who are you?" Gibbs tried again to intimidate. He put himself in the man's personal space and narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Angel. I heard about the body you found and thought that you could use my help. I have dealt with this type of killing before."

Angel and Gibbs eyed each other. Gibbs wanted to know more about this man, but decided it could wait till later.

"Where?"

Without missing a beat, Angel responded. "In L.A."

"You from the NCIS division stationed there?"

"No. I'm from Angel Investigations."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him. A private investigator working a murder involving a naval officer. He didn't buy it.

"What makes you think that you can help with my investigation? I think my people can handle it."

"I have found many bodies with the same identical marks on the neck. All of them women. I know how to track the killer."

"If you do, then why haven't you caught him yet?"

Angel thought. He didn't want to give too much of the truth away. He would have to make something up. He looked around. Gibbs was supposed to be the best. It wouldn't take him long to figure it all out. He needed to keep him off the trail until he could take care of the vampire that was causing trouble.

"There is more then one. I have dealt with two of them," Angel lied. This particular vampire had been a pain to kill. He was as good as Angel. But it was enough to appease the marine. "I just thought that we could work as a team. Up to you, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes again. The man knew his name.

"NCIS takes the lead."

"I'm not interested in politics, Agent Gibbs. I just want to help. I brought my own team to aid in the search for the killer as well. Give me a minute." Angel stepped away from the window and toward the opposite side of the bullpen. He pulled out a cell phone and waited.

Gibbs watched him as he spoke. His first impression of the man was that he may have been military. Not much spooked or scared him. He wasn't easily intimidated. He has apparently been in battle enough to create a hard outer shell.

Angel hung up and stood silently, waiting. Tony moved forward and whispered in Gibbs ear, "You ok with this, Boss?"

"I haven't decided yet, DiNozzo," He turned to Angel, "What platoon were you with?"

"I'm not a marine, Agent Gibbs. Never was in the military."

That concerned him even more. That meant that the man had been trained somewhere else. He knew from his body language that he had to be a skilled fighter. He could have Ziva test him, or even tail him. He then thought that would be useless. Ziva would be made before he left the Navy Yard.

The elevator dinged and a group of four people stepped out. They too were missing their visitors badges.

"Agent Gibbs…my team. This is Wesley, Gunn, Fred, and Cordelia."

When the dark haired beauty entered the bullpen, Tony grinned and moved to her side.

"Hi there. I'm Anthony DiNozzo. Nice to meet you, Cordelia."

"Hi. I don't date navy guys."

Shot down before he even truly got started.

"Angel…we need to talk."

"Not now, Wesley."

"It's important, Angel. I think I know where he is hiding out."

Gibbs stared at the Englishman. He was young, with sandy brown hair and glasses. He watched as the tall, bald black youngster hovered slightly behind Angel. He almost seemed like a bodyguard. The other girl was shy and petite. She seemed meek and a very unlikely candidate for police work. They all, however, seemed to be very loyal to the man they called Angel.

Gibbs walked around his desk and confronted the bespectacled man.

"Is there something I can do for you?" he asked, Gibbs, also not bothered by his presence.

"You know where the killer of my dead Lt. is?"

The man looked to Angel. It annoyed Gibbs that this man commanded as much respect as he did. His team respected him in the same fashion as Tony, McGee and Ziva did himself. When Angel nodded his head, Wesley continued.

"I know where he has been hiding out. We have been hunting him…."

Angel's eyes went wide for a moment, "Tracking him…we have been tracking him for quite some time now. He started his attacks in L.A. That is where we are from. Angel Investigations has been on his trail for months. He has been killing women only so far."

"How many?" Gibbs demanded.

"Thirty." Cordelia said, stepping toward Gibbs.

Gibbs rounded on her. He stepped closer still to her, causing Angel to move forward. Good, Gibbs thought. The girl means something to him. If this all goes bad, he knows how to get Angel to cooperate. The girl, however, was not impressed.

"Okay, look. I'm all for working together in this matter. Women's lives are at stake here. But I don't appreciate having you force your way into my personal space, pal. We're the good guys and you're treating us like we're some kind of sicko disease. Angel is trying to help you. The least you could do is say thank you." Cordelia scolded.

Gibbs eyebrows almost disappeared into his hair.

"Cordy…it's ok." Angel said quietly.

"No, it's not, Angel. You made it a priority to come all the way out here from L.A. and the man can't even say he's thankful."

"Cordy." Angel shook his head.

"Fine."

"Like I said, Agent Gibbs. I'm not here to snake your command or take over the investigation. I came to help out and I thought bringing my people would make the process faster. We have been working on this a long time. I leave it up to you."

Gibbs nodded his head.

"I will let you know that no matter what you do, we will be searching for the killer ourselves. Just fair warning."

Gibbs stared at the group of youngsters. This was not what he had in mind when he woke up this morning. He already had a strange case on his hands. Adding the fact that the killer had gone to great lengths to poke fun at the Navy by insinuating a vampire was the culprit, he now had to deal with this band of novice crime fighters. It was going to be one of those Mondays.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**22:00 Hours:**

It was late. They had spent the better part of the day arguing over who sent them and what agency they were secretly working for. They questioned and evasively interrogated the newcomers in the squad room. They didn't get much except the same vague answers since 10:00 that morning.

Gibbs had Ziva and Tony find a place for Angel's team to work. He quietly instructed McGee to check the security video in and around the building. He wanted to know how they breached security and entered the building without being seen. When McGee left, Gibbs noticed that Angel was watching them. He was sure that he had been quiet enough, but something in his gut was tingling. It couldn't be that Angel had heard their conversation…could it?

Once he knew that his team was busy with their assignments, he headed for the third floor, taking the stairs two at a time. He entered the Director's office, passing Cynthia, without so much as a word. He could see the secretary was frazzled and gave her a small smile before entering.

He pushed the door open and quickly shut it behind him. Jenny Sheppard, the new appointed Director of NCIS was sitting at her desk on the phone. She stared at him, annoyed and then quickly changed the tone of her conversation.

"I'll have to call you back," she said, ending the phone call abruptly and place the receiver on its base. "Special Agent Gibbs…ever hear of knocking?"

She still insisted on being formal even after all they had been through. The fiery red head was playing at being nothing but coworkers. Well, two could play at that game, Gibbs thought.

"When were you going to tell about Angel Investigations?" Gibbs demanded, his voice rising.

"Who?"

"Don't play games with me, Jen!"

Jenny Sheppard clenched her teeth. She didn't want this to end with them angry at each other. She held her tongue and remained calm.

"I don't know what you're referring to, Jethro."

"There is a team of youngsters down there, claiming to be private investigators. The leader of this group of misfits snuck into our secured federal facility without being detected, as did his team. He claims to have intel on the case we caught this morning involving a dead Navy Lt. Tell me you didn't know about this!"

"I didn't know about this. When did they arrive?"

"Few hours after we returned from the crime scene. About 10:00 this morning."

"That was early, why are you only coming to me with this now?"

Director Sheppard left her office, Gibbs close behind her. The two of them stood at the railing of the third floor to watch the squad room below. Her eyes found Tony and Ziva at their desks and then fixed on the strangers at the other end of the bullpen.

"Any reason we're letting tem stay?" She asked her former partner.

"Yeah…I'm not done with them yet. I have more questions I want answered, Jen. They'll stay until I no longer feel they're useful to my investigation. At least here I can keep an eye on them."

"I want them monitored, Jethro. Keep me informed."

Without another word, the director returned to her office. Agent Gibbs turned to watch the people below. After a moment, his cell phone rang.

He answered curtly, "Gibbs."

He listened, watching Angel's team intently. Angel looked up at him and crossed his arms. After another moment, he turned to engage his own team in conversation. "I'll be right down, Abs."

He clicked his phone closed. He hurried down the stairs and turned left once he reached the bottom. He took the elevator that led to the forensics lab.

In the squad room, Tony and Ziva sat at their desks pretending to work. They shuffled papers and aimlessly typed at their keyboards. What they were really doing was eavesdropping on their guests.

Wesley had gathered all the books and notepads he had been using on this particular case. The vampire that they were dealing with was a nasty piece of work. He had survived many centuries and could rival Angel in skill and strength. They even thought that it was possible that Angelus could have sired the vamp they were currently after. The problem was that they were never able to catch him. It had been pure luck that Gunn even heard about his attacks here in D.C.

He and Fred had been working on a strategy for finding him when Gunn had called with new information a few days ago. At the moment, she was helping him to narrow down the current location of their target. They were deciding on a plan of action.

Gunn, who was bored out of his mind, was sharpening his favorite dagger. He had almost pulled out his trusty stake when Angel reminded him of their surroundings.

Cordelia and Angel had moved to stand next to the large windows now that it was safe to do so. They stood silently for a while simply waiting, watching the busy city beyond the navy yard.

"Angel. What exactly are you going to do when we find him?" Cordy asked, breaking the silence.

Wesley joined them, "I have been wondering that myself."

Angel furrowed his brow. "What do you think? What do I always do?"

"Angel, we know that you intend to kill him. We did come all this way. My concern is the federal agents that you insisted on working with." Wesley pointed out.

Angel pushed his hands in his coat pockets, "We'll be done before they even locate his lair."

"Then, why was it so necessary to join with them and their case?" Wesley asked, pushing his glasses back into place.

"They take the victims to the morgue, Wesley. Don't you think that could be a little dangerous considering the consequences. These people don't know what will happen. It's for their own protection." Cordelia explained, noting the annoyed look on Angel's face.

"Ah…I see your point. Do you think it can be done without them finding out?"

"I left that up to Gunn."

"Oh, well alright then. We should get going soon. I believe that he will try again. The faster we get this over with, the sooner we can return to L.A."

Angel simply nodded and continued to stare at the night sky. Cordelia and Wesley were worried about their friend.

Toney and Ziva stood, told their guests they were going for something to drink and went in search of their fearless leader. They took one last look at the brooding man by the window before the elevator doors closed. They found Gibbs in Abby's lab. He looked extremely annoyed.

"McGee! Get to the point!"

Tony and Ziva moved closer.

"Well, Boss, I went over all the video in and around the navy yard. I can't tell you how they got in."

"What?"

Tim cowered at the furious look Gibbs was giving him, and began to stutter in his usual nervous fashion, "I…I….you see…it's….it'…I'm sorry Boss."

Abby took pity on McGee and added her two cents. She knew that even though Gibbs would be mad, he would forgive her.

"He's right, Gibbs. We checked all exits and security stations that have video feed. We even checked the roof access doors. None of our cameras caught a glimpse of Angel's team. You know, Gibbs, he could the be the vampire you're looking for. I mean you said that he was sneaky and seemed really strong. He gets around without being seen or heard…I mean the more I think about this Gibbs, the more…."

"Abs!"

"Sorry, Gibbs."

He turned to look at his senior field agent and liason mossad officer.

"What have you learned?" he said evenly.

"They talk a lot about hunting something." Ziva answered promptly.

"Hunting….not searching." Gibbs said quietly.

"That's right, Boss. We overheard them talking about what they are going to do wen they find the suspect. Angel intends to kill him and they all seem to know it. Apparently, they have done this on many occasions. You know this kind of reminds me of the Boondock Saints. Movie where two guys go in search of all the bad guys and kill them. Taking out the evil before they have the chance to kill again."

Gibbs smacked Tony on the back of the head for good measure, making him feel a little better about having found nothing on their guests.

"DiNozzo, David, you're with me. Abby, I want you on the evidence from the crime scene. McGee, I wanna know everything about Angel and his team. I don't care how you get it."

"Yes, Boss." McGee said, turning back to his computer screen.

Once Gibbs left the lab, Abby turned to her partner. "You think when Gibbs finds the killer he'll have fangs?"

"I doubt it Abby."

"That would be stellar. Okay, let's get our groove on. Come on babies…talk to me."

**The Morgue:**

Gibbs, Tony and Ziva entered the morgue. The doors slid open with a hiss, alerting Dr. Mallard and Jimmy that they had company. They had already begun the autopsy of Lt. Lake.

"I was wondering when you would be visiting me, Jethro."

"What do you got for me, Duck?"

"Well, I haven't gotten very far into the autopsy yet, Jethro, but I do have my preliminary findings. I was correct on cause of death. Massive blood loss was the reason for her demise. She was drained of it from those small puncture wounds in the side of her neck."

"How is that possible, Ducky? I mean, the wounds are hardly fatal." Tony asked, leaning over the body.

"That is a mystery I leave to you to discover, my boy."

"What about defensive wounds?" Gibbs asked.

"None. I also didn't find any other wounds. The two in her neck are the only ones I could find. I'm at a loss for words, Jethro. I simply can not ascertain our killers reason for this type of murder. Not only does it seem impossible, but it makes little sense."

"There is not reason, Doctor." A voice said from the door. It echoed in the morgue.

Dr. Mallard jumped slightly, not that anyone noticed. The others all turned to see Angel standing in the shadows. He walked toward them and came into the light from the autopsy table.

"How did you get in here, dear boy, without us hearing you?" Dr. Mallard asked, astonished.

Angel said nothing. He merely stared at Lt. Lake's body. He seemed to be waiting for something.

"You said, there wasn't a reason." Gibbs said, enticing him to elaborate.

Angel circled the table and stopped to lean against the cooler drawers. "Your killer doesn't kill for any particular reason."

"But you do know the reason, don't you?" Gibbs said, a smirk forming on his face. It irritated him how this man liked to play games.

Angel could honestly answer the man this time. He spoke from experience. "Your killer enjoys it. It's as much a game as it is a need to survive. He gets pleasure out of it. He chooses women because they are easy targets. They don't fight back and they are usually innocent, which entices him more. He takes in their scent, their beauty."

"Not all women are little bunnies."

"Lambs…Ziva." Tony corrected.

"Whatever. Some women know how to fight back."

"Yeah, I get that. I'm just telling you how the man thinks and feels."

"Go on." Gibbs said.

"There is nothing more to tell really. Power can sometimes have something to do with it, but more then likely it is all about pleasure. The kill is the most exciting part. Nothing will stop him. He isn't afraid. He thinks he is above the law."

No one said anything. They watched him as he explained the killer's state of mind to them. Gibbs squinted, his mind reeling. This man was dangerous. As soon as he was finished with him, he wanted him out of their hair.

"Well, me and my team are about to head out. I just came down here to let you know. We are running out of time. He is going to find a new target tonight. If you're coming, we'll wait. Be outside in ten minutes. You'll see my black convertible."

Angel left autopsy in silence. The others stood and waited for him to board the elevator.

"That man scares me, Jethro."

"Yeah, I know, Duck."

"What are you going to do?"

"Follow him. I want to see him and his team in action. Tony, grab McGee and then meet me at the sedan. Ziva, you're with me."

"You got it, Boss."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**11:00 Hours: **

"Here they come, Angel." Cordelia warned. She watched as Gibbs and his agents closed the distance between them.

Angel looked up. He was standing against the side of his car, waiting patiently. He could see the look of distain on Gibbs face. He couldn't blame him for not trusting him. If he were in Gibbs shoes, he probably wouldn't trust him either.

Wesley moved slightly closer to the opposite side of the car, hiding the weapons that were always there. Angel never removed them unless they were in need of cleaning. He was always prepared for anything. Cordelia watched from the front seat. Special Agent Gibbs was good, she knew. She had done the background check on him and his coworkers. He was an ex-marine sniper. He was skilled and talented at hunting down a potential enemy. He was farsighted, but that didn't stop him from noticing just about everything happening around him. She wasn't sure how long Angel would be able to keep all the facts a secret. She thought it would only be a matter of time before Agent Gibbs found out the truth.

"So, where is it that our suspect is hiding out?" Gibbs asked as soon as he was within earshot.

"He's not there. That's not where we're going." Angel said simply.

"You know something that I don't?" Gibbs asked furiously.

"I told you already. He won't stop, Agent Gibbs. He is going to find another victim tonight. And every night after that until he is caught."

"Really?" Gibbs said, raising an eyebrow. He didn't think that Angel was lying to him, he just wondered how he seemed to know that.

Cordelia and Wesley were worried about this whole thing. They would more then likely find the vampire responsible for the Navy Lt.'s death, but it was how they were going to deal with it when they found him that was the problem. These people were obviously closed minded. They wouldn't understand the truth even if they tried to explain it to them.

"Angel, we're wasting time. We really should be going." Wesley said from the back seat.

Angel stared at Gibbs, demanding his attention without using words, "You can believe me or not. I don't care what you think or what you do. We're going out to look for him. I did a little recon a few hours ago and I think I know where he'll hit next."

Angel hopped over the side of his car and landed perfectly in the driver seat. He turned the ignition and the car hummed to life. Angel drove off, leaving the Navy Yard and Gibbs behind.

"Boss, Abby and I have been monitoring the video feed. We never saw him leave the building since his arrival."

Gibbs nodded his head, showing he understood. That was going to be his next question. He was glad McGee was learning to anticipate Gibbs thoughts. Tony and Ziva watched Gibbs. They knew he was suspicious of the other team, and wondered how bad things were going to get before he exploded. McGee and Ziva climbed in the back of the blue sedan and Tony sat in the front passenger seat next to Gibbs.

"We going to follow them, Boss?"

"What do you think, DiNozzo? I wanna know how he knows so much about our killer."

At that, Gibbs pulled off, the tires squealing on the pavement. He caught a glimpse of Angel's tail lights and pursued them. Angel led them to a quiet suburban housing development six miles from the Quantico Naval Base. He pulled up along the sidewalk and parked his massive black convertible. He hopped out of the car, his friends following suit.

He was already armed and made sure that he stayed far enough ahead of the NCIS agents for the other two to arm themselves as well. Gibbs and his team exited the car and followed after the others. Tony sidled up next to his boss and leaned in to him.

"Boss, notice anything missing?"

"Yeah, his bodyguard and the bookworm."

"Just checking, Boss."

"So where are they, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, looking at him.

"Don't know, Boss."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. Tony cringed knowing that he would probably pay for that later. They started to approach the opposite team, but then stopped. Angel, Wesley, and Cordelia started to split up. They weren't staying together. Angel was barking out orders.

"Wesley." Angel said, and pointed to his right.

"Cordy." He pointed wordlessly to his left.

Cordelia and Wesley moved in those directions without questioning it. Angel walked with purpose toward an old warehouse down the street. It sat off the opposite street, two blocks down the road.

"Ziva, McGee. Follow them."

With a nod, they ran off. Tony remained with Gibbs, following closely behind him, his sig in hand, ready to fire. He would cover Gibbs if things got out of hand.

Gibbs and Tony caught up to Angel.

"Mind telling me what you're doing?"

"He's in there." Angel said, pointing to the warehouse.

"And you know this…how?" Tony asked.

"I just do. Does it matter?"

"Yeah, it kinda does." Tony said, his voice raising a bit.

Angel and Gibbs both looked over their shoulders at him and each gave him an intimidating stare.

"Sorry, Boss." He whispered.

They crept closer. When they were next to the building, they paused. Wesley and Cordelia, followed closely by McGee and Ziva, came to give their report.

"Angel. He's not alone." Wesley informed.

"Damnit. How many?" Angel asked. That was merely for Gibbs benefit. He already knew how many vampires were holed up within. He could smell them. They weren't the only things he smelled. He could smell the fresh scent of human blood. He could tell the woman inside was already dead.

"At least four that we can see. What's the plan, Angel?" Cordelia asked.

"You and Wes take the front. I'm going up."

"Four?" Gibbs asked, "I thought we were only dealing with one killer."

"She's right, Gibbs. There are five total. I am assuming that one of them is our suspect."

Gibbs turned to give out instructions when he noticed that Angel had completely disappeared and the other two were headed for the door. Before he could stop them, Cordelia and Wesley entered, quite nosily at that. They slammed the door to the warehouse open. Afraid that the two youngsters might get shot, Gibbs followed. Upon entering, he saw five men. When four of them moved to look at their uninvited guests, he could see a blonde woman hanging limply in the fifth's arms.

Moments later, he saw Ziva and McGee enter on either side and gave them a signal to hold their position. Tony covered his six, making sure that no one would come in behind them.

Gibbs had only expected one killer, not four. He took a look at the men that were now facing them. The first thing he noticed was they were weaponless. They didn't look exceptionally strong accept the one, and their faces were disfigured. They were pale and seemed extremely angry for being interrupted. He was astonished to see Cordelia and Wesley walking right for them without any kind of weapon of their own.

"Are we interrupting?" Cordelia said sarcastically.

Gibbs barely had anytime to react. He started to draw his sig when the young girl grabbed a rusted pipe off the floor of the warehouse and swung it at the man attacking her. It hit him in the face. Gibbs was too stunned to fire his weapon and so he just watched. He had originally thought she was nothing but a valley girl, but he had been wrong. She wasn't particularly talented in combat, but she got the job done.

Cordelia beat the man over the head with the pipe, dropping him to the ground. Annoyed, it kicked its leg out, knocking her down. She landed on her back. As the man rolled on top of her, she brought her knee up and suddenly the man was howling. She punched it in the throat and it dove off of her. She stood, brushing her clothes off.

Gibbs heard a gunshot and turned to see one of the bodies on the floor. McGee had taken one of them down. Gibbs smiled, proud of his junior agent. He watched as Ziva threw her knife that she always hid in the small of her back at one of them, hitting it in the chest. That probably severed his spine. Two down, Three to go.

Wesley didn't intend to let them get away. He lured the one chasing him and the one that Cordelia had dealt with into a dark corner behind a large stack of palates. He staked the injured one immediately, and was thrown aside by the second. Cordelia came to help, only to be kicked in the stomach so hard it sent her flying backward over the stack of palates.

Gibbs watched as the young girl came sailing at him from over twenty feet away. She crash landed in another stack of palates. He went to her side, Tony right beside him. They helped her up only to find that she barely had a scratch on her. The only thing she complained about was the bruise on her temple.

The man standing in the center of the commotion began laughing. McGee and Ziva came to join Gibbs and Tony.

"Are you ok?" Gibbs asked the brunette.

"Fine."

"Good. Tony, you make your way around to the other side. We take him down here."

"That's not going to be necessary." She said calmly. She placed her hands on her hips.

Tony looked at her and then at Gibbs, "Go." He ordered and Tony obeyed.

"NCIS, you're under arrest!" Gibbs yelled at the man.

Suddenly, they all heard a crash and watched in amazement as Angel came crashing down from the roof, landing easily on his booted feet.

Gibbs and his team didn't know what to say or even think. What Angel had just done wasn't humanly possible. Gibbs wondered what kind of training he had to have gone through to be able to achieve that kind of stunt. Angel didn't look hurt or even concerned about what he had just done. He stood quite still, and glared at the man before him. The man dropped the woman he had been holding on to and started to circle Angel. Angel didn't move, he just followed the man with his eyes.

Gibbs repeated, "NCIS, put your hands up and turn around!"

"NCIS huh? You really have sunk so low, Angel. Can't catch me on your own, so you recruited the help of the Navy Police? Pathetic." He said, mocking Angel.

"It's over, Shane."

Tony looked at his boss, knowing that he had heard him too. Angel had known the name of the suspect they were searching for. No doubt that when they returned to the Navy Yard, Angel would get an earful of Gibbs. They just waited and listened.

"Over? It's not over till I grow tired of watching you struggle for control."

Gibbs didn't understand. He had no idea what was going on. He kept his sig up and pointed at the suspect, "I said freeze, dirt bag! Don't make me have to shoot you!"

"Ha! Shoot me, then. I could care less. Nothing you can do to me will ever make it stop. Isn't that right, Angel? It's a vicious, vicious cycle. I'm not the only one and there will always be more. It's a game. It's the only way to live. Every kill deserves another. You would know all about that, wouldn't you, Angel? I don't need to explain to you what it feels like."

"It ends here, Shane. I will stop you this time." Angel said, turning to face him.

"It will never stop, Angel. I will never stop. I had a feeling I would be seeing you tonight, so I brought you a little present."

Shane turned and bolted so fast, Gibbs almost missed it. Shane made it to the large crate a few feet behind him and hooked a cable to it. He climbed into a large machine and pressed one of the buttons, causing the crate to rise in the air. Once it was more than a dozen feet off the ground, he stopped it with a quick jerk. The front of the crate suddenly fell from the side of it, revealing a young teenage girl inside.

Angel furrowed his brow. The girl was sitting on her knees inside the crate, her hands and feet tied. If only that had been all it was. She was crying. She was trying so very hard not to move. There was a trip wire that was attached to her. He followed the wire and discovered two crossbows on the opposite wall. If she moved, she would trigger the crossbows and she would die. Angel was surprised that lifting her with that machine hadn't activated the trap already.

"Up to you, hero. Which is more important. Catching me…or saving the girl?"

That said, Shane jump from the machine and bolted for the door. He was out of it and gone before Tony and Ziva made it to the door. They split up and looked around, trying to track him in the dark. McGee started trying to figure out how to get her down, when Angel made the first move. He climbed up on the machine and shimmed up the arm of the crane. The girl screamed. Since her mouth was gagged, all you could hear was a muffled moan.

"Angel! Get down, you'll get her killed!" Gibbs yelled.

Tony and Ziva ran inside, "Sorry, Boss. We lost him. Bastard's fast."

"It's not your fault. We'll get him. Right now we gotta get her down. Ziva, see if she is still alive." Gibbs pointed to the woman laying motionless on the floor.

Angel swung his legs up and just as he landed in the crate, the wire was tripped.

"NO!" Gibbs yelled.

Much to their surprise, the young girl was saved. The crossbow fired both arrows and would have killed the girl if Angel hadn't stepped in the way. The arrows entered his body, one in his right shoulder and one very close to his spine. What surprised them more, was that he was able to untie her, lift her and get her to the ground safely. He looked like he was in pain, but ignored it till they both reached the ground.

Gibbs gave Tony a look. Immediately Tony was on his cell calling for a medic and Dr. Mallard.

"That was amazing…very Indiana Jones." Tony said to Angel.

"Yeah…thanks."

Wesley and Cordelia came to his side, "Well done, Angel."

"Thanks, Wes."

Cordelia pulled a few rags out of her bag. She waited while Wesley snapped off the blade end, and then pushed the arrow shaft the rest of the way through Angels body. Angel cried out in pain and then told him to do the other one. When each arrow was removed, Cordelia covered each wound with the rags and applied pressure. The two of them helped Angel to stand and were about to walk out the door to the car when Gibbs stopped them.

"Where do you think you're going? The medic will be here shortly." Gibbs put a hand on his chest, forcing him to sit again.

"I'm going back. We'll have to try again tomorrow."

The three of them stood once more. Again Gibbs blocked their way.

"Sit. You're seriously injured and I want them to have a look at you."

"No. Wesley and Gunn take care of my injuries. They always have and always will. Now move." Angel informed and then harshly ordered.

Gibbs and he stared at each other for several moments. Both of them angry, but for very different reasons. Gibbs pissed that Angel didn't follow his lead and that there was more to this case that didn't fit. Angel pissed cause he lost Shane again.

Tony, Ziva and McGee watched as Gibbs mulled the situation over in his head. They were surprised when he seemed to cave and let Angel go.

"Have it your way, Angel. But when I get back, I want answers."

Angel didn't say anything. He left with Wesley and Cordelia supporting his weight.

Gibbs watched from the door as they got in Angels car and drove away, Wesley in the driver's seat. Tomorrow, he would get answers. Angel was hiding something and he knew it. He turned around just in time to see Ducky and Palmer enter. He pulled out his pencil and pad, preparing to do his job.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**NCIS Headquarters:**

"Where's Angel?" Cordelia asked, sitting down next to Fred.

"He went down to see the body. Said something about making sure the victim hasn't vamped yet." Gunn answered, pointing his dagger behind his head, referring to the elevator behind the stairs.

"Fred, did you find anything about him in those books there?" Wesley asked, pointing to the stack of books by her elbow.

"No, I have only found references to Angelus. Also, a few mentioned a female vampire named Darla."

"Well, those I expected. Maybe Angel didn't sire this one. Alright, keep looking."

"I take it no luck on finding our latest fang face." Cordelia said.

"No, none at all."

Gunn quickly put away his dagger when Angel returned to the bullpen.

"Let's go."

Angel walked right passed them. They all stood and followed after him. He was on a mission. He wouldn't wait. Angel suddenly turned on Gunn, stopping him in his tracks.

"I want you down in the morgue while I get Gibbs and his team out of the building. You know what to do."

Gunn looked at him for a moment, a little annoyed that he was being left out of the hunting party. Then he understood. Angel we leaving it up to him to take care of their friend in autopsy.

"You got it."

"Fred, you stay with Gunn."

"Okay, Angel."

Angel turned and joined Cordelia and Wesley in the elevator. The three made their way to the car and waited patiently for Gibbs and his team to join them.

Five minutes later, Gibbs and his agents passed through the now empty squad room. The four of them grabbed their weapons.

"Your gut telling you something, Boss?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, it is, DiNozzo."

They left and met Angel outside.

Gunn and Fred watched from the stairwell as the NCIS team left. They then made their way down to the morgue. Before entering, Gunn whispered, "Fred, distract the M.E."

"I'll do my best."

The doors to autopsy hissed open, alerting Ducky that someone entered.

Dr. Mallard turned and upon seeing them said, "You two are not permitted down here without an NCIS escort."

Gunn looked sternly at Fred, silently telling her to start distracting.

"We're sorry. I asked Gunn to bring me down. I was hoping that maybe you could explain to me how an autopsy is performed. I…I am very interested in becoming a medical examiner."

"Oh…well, that's lovely. You know there aren't many female M.E.'s in this day and age. Not many women are able to handle the sights and smells of an autopsy. Come, dear girl. It's so refreshing to see young people so thirsty for knowledge."

"Thank you, doctor," Fred giggled and smiled as Ducky wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Come my boy. This may interest you too." Ducky said, leading Fred toward his office. He was planning on showing her one of his older and more interesting autopsies that he had recorded.

"Sorry, Doc. I'm a bit squeamish. I'll just wait here, thanks. You all can talk death." He smiled, waving them off. He feigned embarrassment.

Dr. Mallard said, "I can't leave you here unattended. You'll have to go back…"

"Understood. I'll take a nap upstairs. Angel won't be back for a few hours."

Ducky watched him leave, waited till the elevator doors slid closed and then he and Fred entered his office. He was already off on some story that he was reminded of about his youth.

Gunn waited in the elevator and re-entered the morgue after a few minutes. It was lucky that Angel doctored the autopsy security video. No one would know that he had ever been there.

He crossed the room to the far wall. He opened every cooler until he found the right victim. Time was almost up. She would vamp soon, and then there would be no body for the good doctor to send to the grieving family. Once he found the her, he separated her head from her body with the small axe he had been hiding in the elevator when he met up with the M.E.

He closed the cooler and returned to the bullpen. The task too less than two minutes. No one would know who had done it, but at the very least, the family would have a body to bury. Why her head was detached would be the least of their worries.

**Next Morning in the Bullpen:**

Angel and his team spent the night at NCIS. Wesley and Gunn worked on Angels wounds. During the night, Gunn reported his deed to Angel. Angel made sure to fix the video so that it was running normally. He removed the loop he planted the night before. The five sat together all night talking about what happened while Angel, Wesley and Cordelia were out. They searched more books and made plans to find his next target area.

By morning, Angel's lacerations were healed and closed.

"You have no imagination, Ziva." Tony said, laughing.

"I have imagination, Tony. But my imagination is reserved for ideas that might actually happen. The idea of vampires being real is just too out there. And besides…don't you think that it would be a very dangerous world if they did exist?"

"It would be so cool, Ziva. I can just see them walking around in the nineteenth century suits, top hats and canes with tails on their coats."

Ziva looked at him as though he had lost his mind. The two of them had reached the bullpen. Neither of them noticed they were being watched.

"Oh come on, Ziva."

She inclined her head, shaking it slightly. She was completely confused by his strange vision of what a vampire looked like. He was very specific. "Is that how vampires are supposed to be dressed."

"Interview with a Vampire, great movie by the way. Tom Cuise and Brad Pitt. Tom Cruise plays the suave Vampire Le Stat. You really need to get with the times. It was a great film."

"And you really need to get a life."

They heard giggling and turned to see Angel's entire team sitting behind them. They were smiling.

"Is that really how you see vampires?" Angel asked. He couldn't help but laugh. It was just so stupid.

If only they really knew what vampires were really like.

"You think this is funny?" Ziva asked, slightly embarrassed that she had been caught arguing with Tony childishly.

"Actually, I do."

McGee entered, wondering what everyone was laughing about and why Ziva looked prepared to kill.

"Did I miss something?"

"No, McGee. You did not."

Still smirking, Tony sat at his desk. He put his sig in the top drawer of his desk just like his boss did. He did a lot of things very much like his boss. He wanted to be just like Gibbs. He thought of him as a father figure. His own father was not the kind of man that you should emulate. He also knew that the things he did made Gibbs proud of him.

The elevator dinged and they saw Gibbs exist, looking pissed. Just as he reached the squad room, Jenny Sheppard stopped at the top of the stairs to watch the scene unfold below her.

Angel remained in his seat, well away from the windows as Gibbs approached. Gibbs looked extremely agitated. He had gotten little sleep. He spent most of the time working on his boat. He was pissed. He stood over Angel fuming, his coffee in one hand.

"Oh, this is gonna be bad." Tony whispered to his colleagues who had gathered around his desk, steering clear of Gibbs wrath.

"Should we call for Ducky?"

"Why?" McGee asked Ziva.

"In case Gibbs shoots him."

The three agents exchanged a quiet chuckle.

"Answers! Now!" Gibbs yelled.

"You'll have to be more specific."

The Gibbs glare was thrown and he said, "Don't play games with me!"

"You ask a question and you might get an answer, Agent Gibbs. I'm not a mind reader." Angel said calmly.

"You knew the man we were after all this time. Why didn't you tell us about him before last night?"

"I can answer that," Wesley said, "We don't freely share information with other departments. We learned the hard way that when we give a little, we get nothing in return."

Gibbs understood that. He had dealt with that many times when dealing with the FBI, DEA, CIA, and Secret Service. He just hated dealing with it. He liked to be read in on every case he is working. He doesn't care if it is classified or not. If it pertains to his case, he wants to know.

"Who is he?"

Angel had to be careful not to give too much information. If he gave too much, Gibbs was sure to look the man up. He would find that the man has been dead for decades.

"His name is Shane. We don't know his last name. We don't really know much about him."

"Age? Race? Date of birth? Parents? Siblings? Do you have anything on this guy?"

"Not really. He is twenty eight. He used to live in Dublin, Ireland. He moved here couple years ago. As far as we know he has no siblings and no living parents. We know that he's not military."

"So, he was born in Ireland. That narrows it down."

Gibbs moved to his desk and was ready to tell McGee to find someone that fit the description they got on the man last night, when Angel interrupted him.

"I said he lived in Dublin, Agent Gibbs. That is not where he was born. I already checked. We don't know where he was born. Like I said. We don't know much about him."

"He said that he wasn't the only one. What does he mean?"

Wesley looked at Angel. He could see he was working up the right way to convey the answer without revealing too much about what Shane really was.

"I'm not sure. I assume that he probably has accomplices. Or perhaps he was just referring to how even if we catch him, there will always be another murderer out there after him."

"How long have you been chasing him? He called you hero and had a more familiar decorum with you. He knows you." Gibbs said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yes, he knows me. I have been chasing him for two months. I get so close, and then he escapes again. He knows I'll save the woman over running to catch him."

Now was time for the big question that had worried him all night. "What did he mean when he said 'you knew all about how it felt.'"

Tony, Tim, and Ziva watched closely. Ziva knew that meant he had killed before. She of course knew what killing a man felt like, but she was trained in Mossad for that. Gibbs had killed, but he was a marine. He was a part of the military. Her comrades had killed, but only in the line of duty. What was in this guys past that allowed him to kill.

Angel was quiet. He had no logical reason to kill that would appease the ex-marine. Gibbs watched him intently. He was stalling. He was conjuring a lie. Got him.

"I think maybe there is more to this than I originally thought. You're good. I'll give you that. I wouldn't have thought you would join forces with a killer, but you're good. You keep your answers brief and to the point. Your answers are vague when you do give them and you use your skills to put people off. You scare a lot of people don't you. I would have never thought that you were in it with him."

"What?" Cordelia shrieked.

"It was a nice touch bringing in this team of yours. Threw us off. Their just kids. What killer would be surrounded by this bunch?"

"Have you lost your mind?" Gunn asked, standing behind Angel.

"Tony, arrest them all. I want them kept here. Read them their rights. I want them kept separate. I'll question them all individually, starting with Cordelia." Gibbs said evenly, staring Angel in the eyes when he said the last part.

"You got it, Boss."

Tony started reading them their rights and the others started cuffing them. No one fought. Angel gave them a signal, telling them not to resist. The agents would only get hurt. That was not why there were here.

Gibbs called Abby to warn her that new evidence would be coming her way. He had McGee gather all of the things that Angel's team had brought with them. This game ended here and now. He looked up at the director. She smiled and knew that he had everything under control.

He watched as she went back to her office and then turned on the plasma. He watched as the members of Angel's team were placed in different interrogation rooms. He would get his answers now. The ball was in his court.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Director's Office:**

Gibbs entered the directors office without knocking. He closed the door behind him and sat down opposite the director at the long conference table. Jenny Sheppard finished her phone call and hung up. She swiveled to face him, smiling. She joined him at the table and placed her chin inquisitively in her hands.

"I take it you're not here for a social call. You need something, Jethro?"

"No. You told me to keep you in the loop. I thought I would update you."

"I saw what happened. You suspect Angel and his team. You have them in NCIS custody. Do you have evidence to base those accusations on, Jethro?"

"My gut. I'm not letting them leave here, Jen. He is part of it. I can feel it."

"The famous Gibbs gut. Well, does your gut have substantiated evidence. Cause if it doesn't, Jethro, you have no grounds to hold him and his team."

Gibbs said nothing. He merely wiped a hand over his brow and mouth, apparently agitated. Angel was playing him and it pissed him off. He hadn't told a single truth since he arrived and Gibbs intended to rectify that now.

"Do you think he is your killer's accomplice?"

"I don't know. But I know he is involved."

"I'll put in a call to L.A.P.D. Perhaps they have information on Angel Investigations. As a P.I. he must have worked hand in hand with the police force. I'll let you know what I find out."

"Thanks, Jen."

"Gibbs."

Gibbs looked back at the red haired director when he reached the door.

"If you can't find evidence that he participated in any of these murders, you have to let him go. I'll give you twenty four hours. That's the best I can do."

Gibbs rolled his eyes and nodded his head to show he understood, even though it was reluctantly.

He left the NCIS director alone in her office and stopped at the top of the stairs. McGee was no where in sight down below. He whistled and his other two agents looked up. He motioned for them to follow him and the three made their way downstairs.

**Abby's Lab:**

"What do ya got for me, Abs?" Gibbs demanded the second he entered her lab.

"Wow, Gibbs. No foreplay with you huh? I got a very excited McGee and some information for you on the case. What do you want first?"

"McGee. What did you find?"

"Boss, you are never going to believe how easy it was to get information on these people. I was looking into their bank statements to see if I could find paychecks and things of that nature. All their paychecks come from Angel Investigations."

"I expected that, McGee."

"They make all the normal purchases like food, clothes, gas. But there are a lot of purchases to underground auctions, museums and black market operations. It doesn't state the nature of the purchases or what the items are."

"That's good work, McGee. Anything else?"

"I was looking into their personal lives. There is not much to find except the normal things like age, medical records, parentage, where they went to school. After twenty minutes I found something. A lot of cases involving a law firm named Wolfram & Hart kept popping up. I called them and asked them how they were linked to Angel and they all but shoved information at me. When I told them I was NCIS they told me they would send everything they had on Angel Investigations to me right away. It should be here within the hour."

"Nice work, Probie."

Tony felt the sting of retribution on the back of his head, "Sorry, Boss."

"Don't say you're sorry."

"Sign of weakness. Shutting up, Boss."

Ziva giggled at Tony's misfortune, completely unaware that Tony found the Boss's head slaps comforting. It was the absence of one that worried Tony. When that happened, Gibbs wasn't himself.

"Abs. Tell me something good." Gibbs said, handing her a Caf-Pow.

"Do you want me to tell you about the case? Or would you like me to tell you about the evidence you brought me that belongs to Angel's team?"

"Case first."

"Okay, well there wasn't enough blood left in your victims body to do any kind of blood tests. I can't tell you what her toxicology was at the time of her death. But, I had plenty of hair and I can give you toxicology this way."

Gibbs looked at her annoyed for playing her silly games.

"Relax Gibbs. Her toxicology was negative. She was sober at time of death and wasn't on any kind of drug."

"What about the marks on her neck. Did you test the swabs Ducky gave you."

"I did. There was saliva on the wound. So they were most definitely bite marks, Gibbs."

Gibbs looked back at his forensic tech. The others weren't surprised by her information accept Ziva, for they were with Abby and expecting it.

"DNA?"

"I'm still running it. I'm not getting any hits in AFIS. I can tell you that the saliva belongs to a male. So your killer is a man. I'll keep running it though. My babies always give me something." Abby said, patting her computer lovingly.

"Did you find any extra hairs, fibers from the mess brought from the crime scene?"

"Nope."

"How about from Lt. Lake's clothes?"

"All I could find was common cotton fiber off the collar of her uniform. Sorry, Gibbs."

"Okay, what about the evidence from Angel's people?" Gibbs asked.

"These people are my kind of people."

Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva raised their eyebrows at her. Her excitement seemed a bit inappropriate considering they might be in cahoots with the killer.

"Don't look at me like that, Gibbs. Tony, you might be interested in this. You still with me in my thinking?"

Tony nodded his head vigorously and came closer. Abby pulled a few of the books from their evidence bags and carefully placed them on the table.

"These books are very old…like centuries old, Gibbs. I would say most of them are from like 1850's up to early 1900's. Want to know what they are all about?"

Tony reached for one to open it, but Abby swatted his ungloved hand.

"Don't leave me in suspense, Abs." Gibbs said coolly.

"Demons."

"Demons?" Ziva asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Everyone of these books are about demons. All of them are from different cultures, different areas of the world. They are like encyclopedias of demons and monsters. I have been thumbing through them. They are amazing."

"Abs." Gibbs said, annoyed.

"Look, Gibbs," Abby opened one of them and showed them some of the demons.

She turned a page and showed them pictures of monsters. Some were on four legs and some on two. Some had sharp looking claws and teeth and some looked humanoid. Some were green, some orange, some blue. Others still were short and tall. Others were covered in scales, while some were winged beasts.

"There are some pages where your Englishman made notes. I read through a few of them and then found something interesting."

She started smiling wide, almost bursting with excitement.

"You gonna tell me or do I have to pry it out of you?"

"I'm sorry Gibbs, I'm just so excited I can hardly contain myself."

"Okay, what is so exciting."

She flipped through several pages and stopped. The page had a picture of a man with soft, handsome features, dark hair and eyes, and a emotionless smirk. There was a name above it in big bold gothic letters. The name was simple. Angelus.

Gibbs and his team stared at the name and the picture. It was in black and white, but it was unmistakable. The similarities between this face and Angel was too close.

"That's not possible." Ziva said.

"That's what McGee thought."

"It's probably a relative." Tony said.

"In a book of demons, Tony." McGee said.

"In this volume, Angelus is a vampire. I think Angel is this man. I think Angel is a vampire. Maybe his whole team is."

"Abs. Stop. It's not possible. Vampires don't exist. Besides, even if they were real, then they can't be. We would have been attacked already. I agree it is a striking resemblance, but I need you to stick to fact, Abby. Good work, keep at it."

He kissed Abby's temple and started for the door. "I want to interrogate Cordelia first. McGee, I want those files on our guests before I go in there."

"Yes, Boss."

**Interrogation Room, Cordelia:**

McGee came through. The filed from Wolfram & Hart arrived as promised. Tim made sure that Gibbs was given the files of each member of team Angel the second they arrived. There was a note on top of the stack of files with a number to reach the law associate in charge of the case files. The name Lilah Morgan accompanied the phone number.

Gibbs read over Cordelia's file first. He made a few mental notes and then entered the interrogation room. He sat in the chair, his back facing the observation room where Tony stood watching. Ziva and McGee were helping Abby in the lab.

Cordelia didn't make any attempt to defend herself or fight for her immediate release. She simply sat there, her arms crossed defiantly in front of her. She sat there, glaring at Gibbs. She was far from afraid of him. She wasn't intimidated in the least as he sat there silently. He was letting her stew.

Tony was impressed that Gibbs main tactic for breaking criminals hadn't motivated any sort of confession or excuses from the girl. She was a rock. Gibbs finally opened her file and looked at it briefly.

"Cordelia Chase. No siblings. Parents were in some financial trouble. They were indicted for tax evasion. That must have been rough." He began.

"Small setback." Was all she revealed.

"Attended Sunnydale High. You've been in some trouble. Your graduation records were sealed. Why?"

"It was one hell of a ceremony."

Gibbs squinted his eyes. That was all she was going to say on the matter. It wasn't important.

"You started working for Angel Investigations after failing in an acting career."

That made something in Cordy snap, "I didn't fail. I had jobs. I got a few commercials and plays. I just decided my work at Angel Investigations was more important. I better use of my time. I like to help people. That's what we do, Agent Gibbs. We help people." She corrected him, nastily reminding him of their true purpose.

"Who is Doyle?"

Cordelia looked at him. Nobody other then them knew who Doyle was. He wouldn't be a part of her file. That set off an alarm in her head. No one other than Wolfram & Hart would know of Doyles existence.

"He's dead." Was all she said. Her eyes fell to the table sadly. She was remembering the horrible way he had died.

"How?"

"It doesn't matter. He's dead. We miss him."

"Oh it matters if you killed him."

Cordelia stood at that, "You don't know anything! Doyle died a hero. He died saving people. You have no right accusing me or anyone else of killing him. We help people, Agent Gibbs….which is more than I can say for you."

"Sit." Gibbs said calmly. She was telling the truth. That much he knew. Doyle, whoever he was, died as she claimed. That is unless she was a great actress. She had acted for a living.

"No. I think I'll stand."

"Sit."

She stared at him for a moment and then resumed her place in the chair opposite him. Tony watched as she regain her composure. The girl was strong. She wouldn't stand for much more of Gibbs baiting.

We have your medical records. You have been admitted for several major injuries. You always left the hospital without a reason of how you got said injuries to the doctors. They simply patched you up, gave you meds and signed you out. You also had a month or two of visits pertaining to your brain function. All of a sudden it's fine. There are scans here of your brain for those two months. There was significant damage. Now there is a scan of your brain taken more recently. Everything seems to be fine. Care to explain that?"

"I got better."

Gibbs laughed coldly. He was being messed with. There was more here then she was willing to give up.

"Does the name Angelus mean anything to you?"

Cordelia froze. She looked up at Gibbs, searching for the reason behind this question. Had he figured them out? Had he discovered what Angel truly was. She didn't think so, or he wouldn't be asking. So, she lied.

"No. Should it?" She asked snottily.

Gibbs saw it before she could hide it from him. He saw the recognition in her eyes the second the name came out of his mouth. He got up without another word and left her there to ponder what had just happened. He entered the observation room where Tony was waiting for him.

"She knows something, Boss."

"Ya think, DiNozzo. Go tell Abby to research Angelus more thoroughly. I want to know more about this demon they are so interested in and why."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Interrogation Room, Fred:**

"Want me to take this one, Boss?" Tony asked.

The girl in interrogation looked fragile. She was small and was easily intimidated. McGee frightened her. That in itself said enough. Gibbs would destroy her during questioning. He looked back at her through the two way mirror. She was twirling her hair around a finger nervously.

"No, I got it." Tony looked at Gibbs, concerned etched in the lines on his face. "I'll go easy on her."

"Yeah right." Tony said as Gibbs left the room.

He watched as he entered interrogation and sat down across from the meek girl. Her eyes had followed him from the door to the chair. She was anxious.

"Winifred Burkle." Gibbs started, opening the case file Wolfram & Hart sent them.

"Call me Fred. Winifred doesn't sound right after all these years."

"Okay, Fred. Born in Texas. I was surprised to find out that you have a juvenal record. It's been sealed, but I was able to get a bit of information. You had a drug problem. Arrested for smoking marijuana on school property."

Fred was quiet. She started fidgeting in her chair. She looked away from him.

"Still have a drug problem, Miss Burkle?" Gibbs asked, moving into her line of sight.

"Call me Fred. And no, I don't, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs squinted and then sat down once more. He continued perusing her file. "Says here that in 1996 you disappeared from you college library one night. You were found by Angel Investigations five years later. What happened? Where were you all that time?"

Fred shifted in her seat, "I don't remember."

She was lying, "You were gone for five years. You don't remember anything?"

She shook her head.

"Were you kidnapped? Were you beaten? Were you raped? Did you see anything?"

She stood up abruptly, "I don't remember! I think about it all the time. I can't remember anything about what happened to me. The doctors told me that I might never remember. I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs."

Tony watched as Fred seemingly lost control. He thought at first that she was still damaged from her five years in captivity that he assumed had caused her condition. Then, the second she glanced at the camera, he knew otherwise. She was acting for the camera. She was subconsciously wondering how she had done. Gibbs had seen it too.

"I don't like it when people lie to me, Fred." Gibbs said evenly, standing and walking around her. He pushed her back down into her seat.

Tony had been wrong in thinking she was as fragile as a porcelain doll.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Gibbs walked around her, keeping just out of her line of sight. He remained in her blind spots. He tugged at her hair every so often, making her jump.

"L.A.P.D. have several dozen complaints about the Hyperion Hotel in which you reside. You want to tell me about some of the incidents? I particularly interested in the unsolved deaths that frequent the residence."

"Nothing real interesting about them. I don't really know the history of the building. You would have to ask Angel. He knows more about it I'm sure." She lied. She knew of many deaths to occur in the hotel. Most of them took place in the main foyer. Of course, all of them were demons killed by her and the rest of the team.

Tony was surprised that Fred hadn't cracked under Gibbs intimidation yet. Ziva entered and joined him next to the two way mirror.

"How is it going?"

"Slow. So far Cordelia has been defiant and this Fred has proved to be a really good actress. She is playing all the right parts and evading Gibbs questions with little effort. How goes the demon study with Abby?"

"She keeps shrieking with excitement. I needed a break. I think I'm deaf in one ear now."

On the other side, "Are you familiar with a law firm called Wolfram & Hart?"

"Yes."

"They were very helpful in providing information pertaining to your business. What did you do to get them hot on your heels?"

"Nothing. They are a horrible firm. They help criminals skate past the law. They use every possible loop hole in the justice system to keep their clients, all bad guys might I add, out of jail and out on the streets…free to break the law again. They allow them to hurt people. We are always fight….working against them."

Gibbs had clearly heard fighting. So far, he has the impression that these people don't abide by the law. He was reminded more of vigilantes than private investigators. They talked about hunting, fighting, and he has heard them mention evil more than once over the last two days.

"One more thing."

"Okay." She said meekly.

"Lorne?"

"A friend of ours that runs a bar in the city called Caritas."

"Last name?"

"We only know him by first name." She paused, thinking of the best way to describe him without telling Gibbs out right that he was a host demon, "We mainly go to him when we need information. You could say he is our very reliable informant."

Gibbs was through. He left the room, grabbing the file before he slammed the door shut. Tony and Ziva were waiting for him outside.

"How is Abby doing?"

"Her and McGee are searching the books for any and all mentions of Angelus. They have a lot to get through. It's going to take time, Gibbs." Ziva reported.

"Okay then, Tony. Switch them out. I want Gunn in that interrogation room in ten mintues."

"On it, Boss."

**Interrogation Room, Gunn:**

Gunn waited patiently, hoping that the others were alright. He looked up when the Italian agent entered.

"My turn, huh?" He said.

"That's right. Piece of advice…tell the truth. Gibbs won't stand for anymore lies. He went easy on Fred, but Cordelia crossed the line." Tony said, pushing a few buttons to get him riled for Gibbs.

Gunn stared at him. He rolled his eyes. He knew one day Cordy would push people too far and end up in trouble. He knew she would be okay though. It was Fred who worried him. She was smart, but when it came to people, she was usually shy and easily manipulated.

Tony led him to a room without windows and a two way mirror that Gunn was familiar with. He wouldn't play Gibbs game, he told himself. He sat down and waited for the cuffs to be removed. Once Tony left the room, he made himself comfortable. He lounged lazily in the uncomfortable chair. He was almost tempted to really get on Gibbs nerves and put his feet up on the table. Pushing his luck wouldn't make this go away any faster though.

Gibbs slammed the door open and threw the file on the table. He tuned the only other chair in the room around and sat on it backwards.

"So what you want?" Gunn got in the first word, falling back on his old street talk with the sole purpose of annoying his interrogator.

Tony laughed at his ghetto demeanor. This was going to be interesting.

Gibbs smirked at that comment. He opened the file in front of him and began his line of questioning.

"Charles Gunn, street kid…gangster."

"I had a crew to lead. We lived in the 'Bad Lands' It's a rough part of town that the cops don't have the nerve to venture into. There ain't no help from evil in that part of town. Cops are too scared."

"So, you thought you would protect everyone by creating a gang of thugs and murderers?"

"Yo, no one in my crew ever murdered anyone. We were tough, skilled….we took care of our own."

"Yeah…you have a sister named Alonna. Where is she?"

Gunn got quiet. It had been a long time since anyone had mentioned his sister, "She's gone."

"No death certificate, no missing person's report. She just run off into the night and never come back or what?" Gibbs could tell this was a touchy subject.

"She's gone and she's not coming back, end of story. Next."

Gibbs moved on, "When did you meet up with Angel?"

"Don't know. It was so long ago. What does it matter? I thought you were questioning us cuz you thought we were helping your killer. Why the trip down memory lane?"

"Okay," Gibbs stood and tossed his chair at the wall ferociously.

"Ooh, that supposed to scare me, old man?"

Tony chuckled from the other side of the mirror. He had to admit, Angel's people were ballsy. As if Gibbs could hear him, he yelled, "What are you laughing at, DiNozzo?"

Gunn chuckled at Gibbs reaction and then swung his feet up on the table, relaxing. Gibbs came toward him quickly, shoving Gunn's feet off the table roughly. Gunn just looked at him.

"This where you fake getting violent, Agent Gibbs. Bring it…I can take it."

Gibbs, angry and very close to the point of hitting his suspect, he left the room. He wasn't getting anywhere. Angel's people were too well trained. He would have to try something else. He smacked Tony as he passed him and the two of them went to see Abby.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Abigail's Lab:**

"Gibbs! How did you know I wanted to see you?" Abby asked excitedly.

"I didn't. You got something for me?" He said, handing her a refill Caf-Pow.

She took it from him, took a big swig and then slammed it down on her station. She twirled to look at him, her hands up. "Guess what I found?"

"Abby. I'm not in the mood."

"Grrr…you ruin all my fun, Gibbs. I got a match on our killer's DNA."

"Yeah? Who is it?" Gibbs asked, finally glad to have something.

"I just want to let you know that I triple checked my results."

"Abby."

"Alright. The DNA your killer left behind was that of Shane O'Malley."

"Nice work, Abs." Tony and Gibbs said at the same time. Gibbs looked at him and Tony silently apologized.

"Don't thank me yet, Gibbs. Shane O'Malley was killed in the late 1800's. You're killer's a dead man."

They all looked at her. She held up her hands in defense and then turned the monitor toward him. His team gathered around him and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, the DNA matched that of 30 year old Shane O'Malley of Dublin, Ireland, died in 1876. No cause of death listed. Abby had gone the extra mile to find the death certificate. Her results were irrefutable. Abby simply didn't make mistakes.

Gibbs nodded his head and moved on to his next question. "How are you making out on…"

"That was the other thing I wanted to update you on. I've been working with McGee and Ziva on the origins of the vampire Angelus. He is mentioned in a dozen of these volumes, Gibbs. I need more time. I could use Tony's help too."

"Not like you to want an assistant, Abs, let alone three."

"I know, but there is a lot of crap to sift through here. On the upside, I know none of them are planning to frame, maim, or kill me."

"You got it."

"Why do you wanna know about Angelus anyway? I thought you didn't delve into the dark and devilish, Gibbs."

"It means something to them. I want to know what."

He kissed her cheek and turned to leave the room, "Tony, Ziva, stay here and help them. I'm going up to interrogate Wesley."

**Interrogation Room, Wesley:**

Wesley was waiting patiently in the small, grey, dimly lit interrogation room for twenty minutes now. He didn't have his books to read or peruse through. He didn't have his scrolls to study. This was a complete waste of his precious time. He could be working. Instead he was sitting here waiting on NCIS to question him like some common criminal.

After several more minutes the door finally opened and expelled Agent Gibbs. He looked irritated and worn. Fatigue was starting to get the better of him. Wesley could see the circles under his eyes. It was obvious that the man hadn't slept lately. Wesley felt sorry for him, but resented being treated like a criminal.

"Wesley Windam-Pryce." Gibbs said and sat down across from Wesley, closing the door behind him.

"Yes, that's me. Look, I'm sure you have a complete dossier on me. No doubt you have one on each of us. I presume you have spoken to someone from Wolfram & Hart?"

Gibbs was thrown off guard. Wesley was good. It was as if he had interrogated before. Gibbs was being questioned instead of the other way around. He decided to answer him. Their source was apparently no secret.

"That's right."

"I should warn you that the source you believe to be a reputable law firm is in fact a cover for something far more sinister. I can't tell you more than that. We have been working on how to shut them down for a few years." Wesley was sure to choose his words carefully.

"I'll take that into consideration…" Gibbs was about to start his own line of questioning, but Wesley continued.

"I had thought of you as a man of good morals and common sense. I know that you are adamant to find your killer and nothing anyone tells you will sway you from your job. You don't trust anyone and you don't take things at face value. However, I hope you had more sense than to open old wounds for my friends by asking unnecessary questions about their past."

Gibbs was speechless. In all his years of doing this job, never, did he have a suspect interrogate him. He tried to speak again, and again, the Englishman continued.

Wesley watched him and saw that his fears were real. "I see it's too late for that. You, no doubt, asked Fred about the years she was missing from school. That was a rather traumatic time for her that she would rather not relive. You probably egged Cordelia into a verbal fight by making a comment on her failed acting career and probably mentioned all of her doctor visits. Those do not pertain to the case at hand. It was an invasion of her privacy. I bet you even mentioned Doyle. He was a good man and it tore her apart to watch him die. I should think Gunn's sister came into the conversation at some point when you questioned him…as well as his younger days running a gang in center city Los Angeles. He did what needed to be done to protect his friends and family. I don't know what life was like for you in the Marines, Agent Gibbs. I assume it was hell. Gunn's life was very much the same, accept he didn't have to travel thousands of miles to dodge bullets. Does that about cover it so far?"

Gibbs mouth twitched. Just who did this guy think he was? "I did. It is vital that I know their state of mind and it helps me to judge their answers. If they lie about those things, they'll lie about the questions I intend to ask later about the murder of Lt. Lake."

"We are not responsible for the death of your Navy's Lt. Lake. Shane is responsible for her death. I'm sorry for that. I assume that you have looked my file over? You'll have found that I was born in England and attended a very renowned Prep School for boys. I was hired as a librarian at Sunnydale High for a short time and then I joined Angel Investigations. I don't have many hobbies, though I do belong to a guild. The Watcher's Council to be more specific."

Gibbs started to write that down when Wesley stopped him.

"You can look it up if you like, but you won't find anything. It's an unregistered guild. You won't know where to look to find the information that you want. And I'm not going to tell you. It doesn't pertain to your case."

Gibbs wrote it down anyway. He looked toward the camera and then back at his suspect. He knew that even though he had ordered Tony to stay and help Abby, he would still be watching and listening to the interrogation on the plasma in her lab. He would know to have Abby look up the Watcher's Council Wesley had mentioned. He wasn't going to just take his word for it.

Gibbs was impressed with the man. He was controlling the flow if information. He was telling Gibbs straight out what he was sure Gibbs would ask and a little more that he wouldn't know to ask. He would have to get beyond that.

He opened his mouth to speak again. When Wesley started to interrupt, he held up a hand to stop him. He needed to get in control of this interrogation.

"I ask the questions. I want straight answers."

Wesley said nothing.

"You're skilled at interrogation. I'm actually impressed. How did you become so skilled?"

Wesley looked at him sardonically. He didn't believe that Gibbs was that stupid.

"I doubt that the police department allowed you to interview suspects. Do you take them to your office before handing them over to the authorities?"

"Anything to get our man. You know a little about that. I have done my homework too. I had Cordelia look into your backgrounds. You do whatever is necessary to get your man. Ari ring a bell? Perhaps your wife and daughter's murderer?"

Gibbs stared at Wesley. How had he known? Ari he could understand. There had been a report of the incident in his basement. The truth was that Ziva had killed Ari, but the report stated that Gibbs had shot him in self defense when Ari broke into his house and tried to kill him with his own gun. However, the truth about Shannon and Kelly's killer was not on file. That was the biggest kept secret at NCIS. Only his team and Jen knew the truth. How had this man found out?

"So, you must agree that breaking that particular rule is not that big a deal. Sometimes the law lets bad guys slip through the cracks. Sometimes, there are cases that are more difficult and too much for the police to solve. I'm not okay with letting them get away with it just because the authorities can't handle the case."

Wesley became quiet again. Gibbs watched him closely. Wesley had yet to lie to him. But something was still off. He just couldn't figure out what it was. Gibbs tried a different approach.

"What other rules are you willing to break? My team overheard you all talking about hunting your targets. Have you ever gone so far as to kill your suspects?" Gibbs asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Have you?" Wesley asked, referring to the two he just previously mentioned. He knew them both to be dead.

They stared at each other for a moment. They both knew the answer to that. Yes. Neither of them were about to admit it on the record while being video taped.

Wesley continued, failing to answer his question. "We work all angles possible when looking for our suspects. We may not have badges, but we are not without resources. We use the internet, we have reliable human sources as well as digital ones. We do the leg work, ask questions, interview witnesses on our own time without interfering with L.A.P.D.'s investigations. We have interrogated some people and we do hand over all suspects or perpetrators to the authorities. I won't deny that some of our techniques stray over the line a bit. Especially when it concerns the safety of one of our own."

Gibbs didn't say anything. He was jotting down what Wesley was saying. The next statement made Gibbs look up.

"When a case strays into personal territory the stakes are changed. I know about Kate."

Gibbs looked at him. A felt a pang of guilt at the mention of his former NCIS agent. Kate was killed on duty by the sniper Ari.

"I also know about the loss of NCIS Special Agent Paula Cassidy. You have almost lost Special Agent Tony DiNozzo a dozen times. He was even framed for murder…no? Mossad Liason Ziva David has had a similar experience while left alone with a suspect. Agent McGee was accused of discharging his weapon without cause at a police officer."

"You're point."

"When it comes to our 'families' Agent Gibbs…we do anything to make it right. Angel and I are no different. I trust you understand."

Gibbs eye twitched. He hadn't gained control. In fact, he thought he had relinquished power to Wesley even more than before without realizing it. If ever he deserved a head slap, it was now.

"Let's get right down to it then. How close to this case is your boss, Angel?"

"Be more specific."

"Was he with Shane when he killed Lt. Lake?"

"You think Angel is an accomplice to the murder of Lt. Lake?"

Gibbs said nothing. He just stared Wesley down in pure Gibbs fashion. Wesley laughed.

"You can't be serious."

"Dead serious."

"Then you are not the man I thought you were. Your reputation for learning the truth is impeccable, Agent Gibbs. I'm disappointed that you fail to see the truth here. No, Agent Gibbs. Angel is in not way connected to the deaths of your Navy Lt. Lake and Navy Captain Taylor."

"Captain Taylor?"

"You don't know the name of your second victim yet? I learned about that just this morning."

The door to the interrogation suddenly burst open. Tony stepped in, visibly cringing. He knew Gibbs would be angry to the point of boiling. It was important though.

"Boss, I gotta talk to you a sec."

"Oh, Agent DiNozzo. I do believe you just broke rule number 22. Never, ever, interrupt Gibbs while he is in interrogation." Wesley recited perfectly, smiling at the look of pure disbelief both men had on their faces.

Gibbs followed his senior field agent into the hall. The door was closed and the pair of them stared at the closed door. Neither of them knew what to think of what just happened. It was true, most of NCIS, and some other agencies, were aware of Gibbs rules. It took working with Gibbs to learn of them. Wesley knew…but how?

"Boss, he's weird."

"I can't argue with that, DiNozzo. What do you got?"

"Two things. Ducky is calling for you and Abby's got something."

"Let's not keep Dr. Mallard waiting. With me."

Together, the agents reported to autopsy, the mysteries of Wesley Windam-Pryce on both their brains.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Bullpen:**

Ducky hurried into the squad room just as Gibbs and Tony entered from the opposite side. Ducky sighed heavily. "There you are, Jethro. I told Anthony that I wanted to see you a.s.a.p."

"I told him as soon as you told me to, Ducky. Gibbs was in interrogation."

"No doubt, you stood outside the door wasting time debating on the best way to interrupt him."

Tony began to fabricate an excuse, but failed to think of one and kept his mouth shut. Gibbs smiled.

"What's so important, Duck?" he asked.

"We have a problem. Come."

Dr. Mallard led the two special agents to his autopsy. He swept right passed the second murder victim, heading for the cold storage coolers. He opened the cooler marked with Lt. Lake's name and pulled her body out. The second the body was uncovered, Gibbs knew why Ducky was so anxious. The head of Lt. Lake was severed from the body. It had been intact when it was brought to NCIS.

"How?" Was all Gibbs could say.

"I don't know, Jethro. I had security check the cameras. There was no one down here."

"Okay, I'll have the building searched." "No, Jethro, that's not what I mean. There was no one on the tape. The previous night, while you were out looking for your suspect, I had visitors. A delightful girl named Winifred and that young man named after a particularly bad choice of weaponry."

"Gunn." Tony said, filling in the name.

"Right. They came down here because the young lady was interested in becoming a medical examiner. Gunn said he was squeamish and returned to the bullpen. I watched him leave. They are not on the video. I believe we have been fooled."

Gibbs turned to Tony, "Tell Director Sheppard. Have her lock down the building. I don't want anyone leaving. We've been played. They are all in on it. Tell Ziva to put them all in the same room. Including Angel. They are covering for him. Maybe he will do the same. I need to see how they interact with each other. Coming at them alone is pointless. He has them too well trained. Perhaps if they see the others in danger of being exposed the truth may come out."

Tony nodded and hurried from the room to carry out his assignment. Gibbs turned back to his friend.

"Can you tell me anything about the way the head was removed, Duck?"

"Yes, you see these marks here?" Ducky asked, pointing to the marks left behind on the bone. "They were made by single blow. This poor girl's head was severed in one, swift and well aimed blow."

"Why? The Lt. is already dead. Cutting off her head makes no rational sense, Ducky." Gibbs said, looking at the damage to the Lt.'s neck.

It was rare for Gibbs to be so dumbfounded by a case he was working on. He has been surprised, impressed, and has been wrong on occasion. But he has never been so completely dumbfounded.

"Jethro? Those people from Angel Investigations…you think they are somehow connected don't you?"

Gibbs just looked at his old friend. He didn't know what to say to him. Dr. Mallard scrutinized him. Gibbs silence told him all he needed to know.

"I see you intend to hold them longer than twenty four hours as our Director instructed. Would it be aright if I observed them while you questioned them?"

"By all means, Duck. Maybe you can tell me something about them that I don't already know. What about our second victim? You find anything new on her? Like for starters, who is she?"

"Abby ran her DNA. May I present to you, Captain Liza Taylor. She was killed in the exact same manner Lt. Lake was murdered. DNA was also left behind on these bite marks. I sent them up to Abby, along with a few fibers. This victim, however, had defensive wounds on her hands and arms. She fought off her attacker, Jethro. The girl didn't go down without a fight."

"Alright, thanks Duck. I gotta go see Abby. I'll be interrogating the lot of them in twenty minutes. Let DiNozzo know what you found. He'll be waiting in observation."

Gibbs left the good doctor behind, talking the victim on his autopsy table. He took the elevator to the next floor, stopping at Abby's lab. He heard voice within, arguing.

"Hey! What's going on?" Gibbs asked upon entering, startling Ziva and McGee. Tony and Abby were standing on one side and the other two opposite them.

"Hey Gibbs. We are just having a friendly discussion." Abby explained.

McGee looked at Gibbs, "Abby and Tony are convinced that Angel is a full fledged vampire. Ziva and I are trying to prove to them that it's just not possible."

Gibbs ignored Tim after that, and turned to his black, clad forensic scientist. "What did you find out?"

Abby smiled, and turned to the books on the table. She flipped through one and started laying out her findings.

"Okay. We have been hip deep in these books. Just about every one of them mentions Angelus. There is also another vampire, female, a nasty piece of work that is usually mentioned with him. Her name is Darla. Turns out that this female vampire sired Angelus." Gibbs looked at her, emphasizing that he didn't understand what that meant.

"Uh…she created him, Gibbs. She bit him. Fed off of him. His family buried him and then he came to life and crawled out of his grave."

"His family buried him. Where?"

"I don't know Gibbs. Somewhere in Ireland. His original name was Liam. Anyway, afterwards, this female vampire and Angelus became inseparable. They terrified people all over the world. The two really got around. There are stories of the devilish pair being sighted in places like, Ireland, London, Germany, Spain and even here."

Gibbs looked at the notes in the margins. The Wesley had made inquiries on a lot of things. He then saw the words 'Sunnydale'. He pointed to it, "I know that place. Wesley was a librarian there. Cordelia went to school there."

"Yeah. According to the English dude's notes, that is where he tracked Angelus. He states here that Angelus was after the slayer. The name Buffy keeps popping up."

"This is all just too….." Gibbs was at a loss for words.

"Weird, Gibbs?" Abby said.

"Yeah."

"I think that Angel is Angelus. There are a few notes in the margin of this book," Abby grabbed the next book on the stack and opened it where she bookmarked it, "It states that Angelus was cursed by gypsies. They gave him a soul. A vampire with a soul is forced to face what he has done with a conscience. He still needs the blood to survive, but a human soul makes it difficult for him to function as a normal vampire would. He feels bad for the things he has done. He can't bring himself to kill another human to feed on."

Gibbs stared at her. McGee and Ziva looked at him sympathetically.

"Abby, I want you to come with me. You understand more about this. I need to get the truth out of them and they are all stonewalling me."

"Wait. I get to help question them?"

"Yeah, you do."

"Righteous. Do I get to ask about the vampire stuff?"

"Yes. I want to watch how they react. I don't know why….but this is important. I don't want to indulge in the fantasy, but I need answers. Let's go."

His agents followed him as he led Abby out of her comfort zone and into the lion's den that was the interrogation room. Gibbs and Abby waited while the other three joined Dr. Mallard in observation.

**Interrogation Room, Whole Crew of Angel Investigations:**

Angel was standing in the corner of the dimly lit room. He was thankful this wasn't like the interrogation rooms the FBI had. There were windows in those. His team had informed him of Wolfram & Hart's interference. He was told about everything that Agent Gibbs had asked them. He laughed when Wesley told him what he had done during his interview. It was so like Wesley to take charge. He was careful to tell Gibbs what he wanted to hear, but was prudent about the words he chose to use.

Angel had grown angry when Cordelia informed him that Gibbs had brought of Doyle. His anger grew when Fred told him about the questions regarding the years she was trapped in Pylea. Fred didn't talk about it, but she had answered Gibbs to the best of her ability. She feigned ignorance. Said she didn't remember what happened, couldn't remember if someone had kidnapped her or what. Angel was glad she just pretended to have forgotten the whole ordeal. He didn't want her to live through that again.

The girls were tired and had fallen asleep in the chairs at the table in the center of the room. Gunn was pacing back and forth in front of the two way mirror. Every so often he would face it and scream at it. He was hoping that whoever was watching them on the other side jumped in fear every time. Angel snickered just thinking about it. Wesley remained standing by his fearless leader. He remained very quiet.

The door to interrogation finally opened. Gibbs and a gothic dressed woman stepped inside and closed the door behind them. The girl looked fascinated by the group. She was carrying a few of the volumes from Wesley's office in her hands. They were inside evidence bags. He could see Wesley cringing at the sight of it.

"Wake them up." Gibbs said loudly.

Cordy and Fred shifted groggily. They looked up to see Abby and Gibbs hovering over them. Cordelia stood up, gave Gibbs a dirty look and walked to stand next to Wesley. Fred stayed in the chair facing the observation window. She wiped her eyes lazily. Gibbs had their undivided attention.

"This is Abigail Scuito. She is my forensic scientist. She has been studying your very unique book collection." Gibbs said.

Wesley looked at the girl with the huge smile on her face. She was not like the rest of the agents they had met. He was familiar with her, and their M.E. Dr. Mallard. He was not expecting her to look as excited as she did.

"I want to know why you are all really here?" Gibbs started.

No one said a word. They looked at Angel and he just barely shook his head.

"Lt. Lake is suddenly in two pieces. Anyone here know anything about that?"

Gunn shifted slightly, but again, no one said a word. After a moment of silence, Wesley said, "How on Earth would we know about anything that has happened outside these walls? You have kept us under tight observation since this morning."

"So, no one knows about her head being loped off?"

They shook their heads. Gibbs didn't believe it for a second.

"Do any of you own a sword, or axe or some kind of sharp implement or weapon with which you could lop off one's head?"

Again, denial. This was so irritating. He was known for being able to break anyone. This was just absurd.

"Can I start, Gibbs?" She asked, nearly bursting with excitement.

"Yeah, why not? Go ahead."

Gibbs stood in the corner near the window. He was there to observe for a bit. He would ask questions once he knew how to approach them.

Abby sat down, putting the books gently on the table. Wesley appreciated that. At least she was taking care of the very fragile volumes. It would be most inconvenient if he was forced to procure replacements. The books were hard to find to begin with.

"Okay, let me just say, you guys are so awesome."

They all stared at her. That was the last thing they expected to hear from an employee of NCIS.

"I have tons of questions. I need to prove to Gibbs and Ziva and McGee what I know to be true. So, don't lie. You'll ruin my day and then I'm out fifty bucks."

Angel smirked, but hid it well. He wasn't even sure the camera had caught it. Wesley just stared.

"Anyways. I was looking through your books, Wesley. Interesting stuff. I would love to know where you got them. I would kill for stuff like this."

"It was difficult. Some of them were purchased in underground auctions. Some I got from friends in the Watcher's Council." Wesley explained, not sure whether or not it was a good idea.

"Okay, that leads me to my first question. What exactly is the Watcher's Council? I assume it has something to do with these volumes."

"It's a very secret society that I belong to. It was started in London."

"Yeah, I get that. What do you do in this secret society?" She pushed him.

"That is none of your business."

"Okay," She reached over to Gibbs and took the files from him, "Who is Lorne? Beside the one picture of a host demon in this book, you have that name. So, who or what is it?"

Wesley looked at Angel. Gibbs was reminded of Tony who always looked to him for guidance. It was amazing how simple it was to convey one's feelings in little to no words at all. Angel's eyes barely moved but they relayed an answer none the less.

"He is one of our informants. I was studying the book when someone told me about him. I didn't have a blank piece of paper at the time. He is the owner of a club in Los Angeles. Host would remind me when I came back to it. That's all." Wesley lied, and Abby knew it.

"Right…." Abby said, knowing full well he made that excuse up, "And Doyle?"

Cordelia lost it, "Why are you always so damn interested in the people we have lost. Doyle died a hero!"

Angel took hold of her arms, pulling her back, "Cordy, calm down. They are just doing their job. Relax."

"I will not relax. Angel, Agent Gibbs all but accused us of killing him. I won't stand for this anymore. Doyle died protecting us all. If it hadn't been for him, we wouldn't be here."

"Cordy." Angel said sternly. Cordelia stepped back again. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall once more.

"Alright, I can see you guys are really touchy about your pasts. I get it. Just tell me one thing. Angel….your real name is Liam right?"

Angel unfolded his arms and then stepped forward into the light. He stared at her, completely taken aback. She had figured them out. Gibbs saw him move toward Abby and started forward.

"I'll take that as a yes. That means you really are Angelus, right? You are mentioned in just about every book down in my lab."

Angel didn't say anything. He wasn't about to admit or deny anything.

"Is that name supposed to mean something to me?" He faked.

"I know it does. You were quite the bastard in the old days. A really evil and vindictive bastard. No heart. No morals. No soul. No conscience."

Angel looked dejected. His hideous past was a sensitive subject. He felt complete remorse for everything he had done. He spent every day trying to make amends for all the horrible things he had done. Sadly, he looked away.

"You are the vampire Angelus."

Gibbs saw it. Recognition. He saw it on every one of their faces. Wesley, Gunn, Cordelia, Fred and Angel all looked at each other. Some of them sighed, while the others shook their heads in dismay. No. No. It couldn't be true. The thought, the idea was absurd. There were no such things as vampires. He stepped forward.

"What is Angelus?" He demanded. It had to be a front for something.

Angel looked at him suspiciously. What kind of game was this? The girl knows but he doesn't. Or perhaps she is the kind that believes in that sort of thing and Gibbs just refused to believe.

"What is it? Who is it? Why is some make believe creature so important that you keep books of it around?" He demanded again, this time slamming his hand on the table, making Fred shriek.

Angel snapped and slammed his own hands on the table. He leaned over it and stared directly into Gibbs eyes. His eyes flashed amber, revealing his cat like vamp eyes for a moment. His anger was making its way to the surface. Gibbs saw it. It was only a moment, but Gibbs didn't miss it. He backed up, slightly terrified, though he tried to cover it.

The door opened. Tony, and the rest of the team, Dr. Mallard included entered. Apparently they had all seen it. Angel had been too reckless. Abby, the gothic woman sitting across from Fred was cheering.

"I knew it. You are a vampire. Yes, McGee…I told you. God that is so awesome."

Angel hung his head. What a disaster. Gibbs was still in utter disbelief. Time for the truth he supposed. Resigned, he stood upright and said, "Alright. Guess there is no hiding it now. What do you want to know?"

It was that simple. Gibbs couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was admitting to being a creature of the night. Did Angel really expect him to be pulled into this nonsense.

"Why is Angelus so important to you?" Gibbs asked.

"Are you deaf? Your own forensic scientist already made it very clear. I am Angelus…in a matter of speaking."

"Oh, right. Totally. Gypsy curse and all."

"You really did study my books didn't you?" Wesley said.

"Oh yeah. I am totally into it. You guys hunt those creatures don't you?"

"Hunt and kill, yes." Gunn admitted.

"Some of them aren't all bad though. Like Angel, there are creatures that are kind at heart. Some are really just looking to live peacefully in the world of humans. Some just looking to make a living like humans do. Well, those that can pass for human anyhow. Vampires on the other hand, Angel is the only one with a soul." Wesley explained.

"Well, you're forgetting about Spike." Fred corrected.

"Oh, right. Well, he doesn't count. He's with Buffy and he's only had a soul for a couple months."

Angel froze at the mention of Buffy. Wesley noticed and cringed the second the name came out of his mouth.

"Oh, Angel. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"Forget it." Angel said quickly.

An NCIS agent came bursting into the room that Gibbs had never met. He looked hysterical and afraid.

"We have a situation. There is a man in the bullpen asking for Angel. Says his name is Shane. He killed the security guards and forced his way into NCIS." The man informed and then ran off again to tell the next bunch of people he could find.

Angel looked to Gunn and Wesley. "Let's go."

"Woah, where do you think you're going?" Gibbs asked.

"He is here for me. Do you really want to endanger more lives by refusing to give him what he wants?"

Gibbs was torn between seeing Angel and his team in action and keeping them all locked up for obstruction of justice. He looked to his team who was looking to him for instructions. He thought a moment.

"Okay, but we stay. We'll back you up. I see anything I don't like, I'll take you out too."

"NO. You and your people need to get out of here. I don't need extra people to protect. He will use you to get me to do what he wants. It's me he is after. I have been making his life hell for the past three months."

"We do it my way, or not at all. Understand?"

Angel, annoyed, but not willing to risk Shane killing everyone in the building, agreed. Gibbs let him lead the way. It would prove to be an interesting encounter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Angel decided to take the stairs. It would give him time to think and bark out orders. He needed to make sure that Shane got what he wanted, but also to ensure the safety of NCIS.

Gibbs and his team were just behind him. It annoyed him that Gibbs refused to listen to him. Though, really, he should be used to it by now. No one ever listened to him once they started to learn the truth. Why should now be any different? All that mattered to him right now was that Gibbs and his team stay safe. Losing innocence was not an option. These agents were good people. He would not stand for failure on this one.

Angel stopped in the stair well a floor below where Shane was waiting for them.

"Angel? Are you sure you really want to do this? What are you going to achieve by talking to him? He is only here to torture you. You know that." Wesley said.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm going up there. Alone."

"Absolutely not, Angel." Wesley protested.

"Angel, you can't. He won't be alone." Cordelia agreed with her friend.

"I know that. No doubt he'll try to egg me into a fight. I want you four to form a perimeter. Gunn and Fred take the floor above us. Take the stairs. I don't want the elevator alerting him to your location. Just don't let him or anyone else get past you. Wesley, you come with me, but stay near the elevator until I have his full attention. Work your way around behind them if you can. Try not to be seen. Cordy…." Angel looked at her, "I want you to stay with Gibbs and his team. Keep them out of it. You are all to stay with her. Do as she says. Shane will use anything to his advantage."

"I don't take orders from suspects." Gibbs said sternly.

"Are you still on about that? Look, I don't expect you to like me. You don't even have to believe me if you don't want to. But as long as Shane is in this building, you will do as I say. It's too dangerous to be taking chances. You are good, Agent Gibbs. But, for this, this you're not good enough for."

Angel turned to move up to the next floor. As they all reached the landing, Angel nodded to his team and they moved into their assigned positions. Cordelia crept back to join team Gibbs and Wesley opened the door and stepped out to find a good hiding spot.

Gibbs grabbed Angel's shoulder, stopping him from entering the squad room, "I was a Marine Sniper, Angel. Why am I not good enough to handle him?"

Without looking at Gibbs, he answered, "Because….I taught him everything he knows."

A look of guilt on his face, he shrugged Gibbs' hand off and entered the squad room. Gibbs stared after him. Tony watched as his mentor tried to comprehend what that meant. If only his boss could open his mind to the possibility of vampires existing like Abby did. This was going to be a hard one for Gibbs to wrap his mind around.

Tony was with Abby one hundred percent. At first, he thought she was just spouting her wishes and hopes. But the more she found out, the more he thought it was possible. Tony had an open mind. He just wished his boss could do the same.

Cordelia stepped in front of the door. She couldn't let them go out there yet.

"I would move if I were you." Ziva warned her.

Gibbs was giving her the glare. Ziva was sure he wouldn't care about forcing his way through at this point.

Cordelia looked him in the eye, "Would you expect your people to follow your orders or completely disregard them?"

Gibbs eyed her angrily. She was right. If Tony or McGee or Ziva ever disobeyed an order he would slap them silly. He paused.

"Angel is trying to protect you. Let's give him another couple seconds before we go in there. I do what I'm told. I have been with Angel long enough to know that when he tells me to stay back, it's best to do exactly that. It's going to get ugly out there." Cordelia said truthfully.

They waited thirty seconds more and then quietly entered. Cordelia led them to the opposite wall and flattened herself against it. She watched as they followed her in and ease the door closed as the last one entered. She inched forward and peered around the corner. Wesley was no where in sight. Angel was just walking around the cubicles and was standing face to face with Shane. No one was talking. When she knew it was safe, she leaned out further.

Gibbs and his team leaned out just far enough that each of them could see. They all watched, the tension rising.

Angel walked around the cubicles and stopped in front of Agent Gibbs' desk. Shane was standing between Agent DiNozzo's and David's desks. They didn't speak for a moment. Angel had spotted movement above them and knew Gunn and Fred were in place. He knew where Wesley was, but couldn't see him yet. Cordelia and the others were safely behind him near the elevator.

Shane faced Angel, a huge smile on his face, "Angel. So glad you decided to come see me."

"You killed a lot of innocent people to get in here, Shane." Angel said. He wasn't going to indulge in pleasantries.

"There are no innocent people, Angelus. Everyone is guilty of something. Some more than others." Shane taunted, making a point to poke at Angel's past.

Angel didn't respond to his goading. He simply stared at him. Shane was a result of Angel's terrible past. Angel had sired him while he was Angelus. Angel taught him everything he knew. He taught him how to kill, and how to effectively torture without killing his prey. He taught him how to fight, how to stalk his prey. It was Angel who had turned him into a vampire to be feared. Angel had created him. It was up to him to destroy what he himself had created.

"We never talk, Angelus. It was such a surprise to see you that first time months ago. I was ecstatic. It had been so long since I saw you last. When was it? London?"

"Your point, Shane?" Angel asked.

"What happened to you, Angelus? You used to be the bastard of all vampires. Everyone feared you. Humans were terrified of you. Vampires world wide coward at the sound of your name."

"Gypsy curse. It's a long story."

"Gypsies huh? Ever kill the one that did it?"

Angel shook his head, "No. I felt the pain and guilt of all the evil things I had done."

"Oh, give me a break, Angelus! We're vampires. It doesn't matter what they did to you. You might have a soul, but you still thirst for blood, Angelus. It's what we do. Humans are our food. You can't live without it. Pigs blood pales in comparison. You can't deny the very thing that makes you what you are. Don't run away from it. Embrace it, Angelus."

"I'd rather not. I'm not that person anymore."

"You will always be that person, Angelus. You can't escape who you are. You're a killer. You're a creature of the night. Even now you are still following your instincts to killer and maim. You are still killing."

"I protect people."

"You kill vampires. You kill demons. You're still a killer at heart, Angelus. You and I, we were a good team back in the day. We could be unstoppable now. Humans these days are so much easier to stalk. The women…ooh….so much more delicious than ever before. I have discovered the Navy personnel are absolutely divine."

Angel saw Gibbs angrily start forward, but Cordelia was good at holding him back. Shane was aware of their presence. He had said it on purpose to lure Gibbs out of hiding.

"Never going to happen, Shane."

"You disappoint me, Angelus. I was hoping my coming here wasn't pointless."

"I had the impression you were smarter than this, Shane. You made it a lot easier for me to kill you by coming here. Now I don't have to hunt your ass down."

"I find it so fascinating that you talk to me like that. You know, just cause you sired me doesn't mean you can talk to me like you own me."

"I don't own you. You're right, but fun time is over. I made you and now I am going to stop you."

"We used to have such great times together, Angelus. It's really a shame. You were the best. No one stood up to you. Everyone was afraid of you. Even me. Now look at you. I didn't think the worlds most formidable vampire could turn out to be so lame."

"The things I did….I was wrong. I wish there had been someone better than me to stop me back then."

"Well, no time like the present. I'm better than you now. I have become far stronger and far greater than you. You have been nothing but a complete pain in my ass for the last three months. I thought that if you joined me, I wouldn't have to kill you. I was even going to overlook that fact that you kill vampires like yourself. You're a disgrace to our kind. Since you won't join me willingly, then I'll take you out myself. I'm about to become a legend. The man who killed the great vampire Angelus."

Shane's features shifted. His face was grotesque and his eyes that of a demons. Gibbs stood up straight. He hadn't seen that. He couldn't have. Cordelia looked at him. Ziva and McGee were having similar reactions.

"I told you. This is so awesome." Abby almost shrieked.

"Shhh. It's not awesome. Vampires are killers. Angel is just a special case. If he ever returned to being Angelus, we would kill him too. Keep quiet. Shane is not like Angel, he will kill you." Cordelia warned, hushing the excited lab tech.

Cordelia looked to Gibbs again. She almost felt sorry for him. It was hard for some to wrap their minds around the things she dealt with on a daily basis. It was hard for her at first too when she learned about vampires in high school. She knew it would take him time. They would no doubt have more questions after this was all over. She just hoped that Gibbs could handle it when all the truths came out.

Team Gibbs watched as Angel vamped. His features changed in the same way that Shane's did. His eyes were gold and cat like. They seemed not as devilish. They saw his fangs and gasped. Gibbs couldn't believe it. He was looking at not just one, but two vampires. Seconds later, the four other men behind Shane that no one had paid any attention to vamped as well and came forward. Gibbs' whole world was being shattered. Shane waved them off with his hand.

"No, Angelus is mine. Stay back. I want to enjoy this." His smile was hideous.

"My name….is Angel." Angel rushed forward and head butted the younger vampire, knocking him backward.

The second the two clashed, Shane's backups were fair game. Cordelia looked back at her charges, "Stay here. Let us handle this. We are better equipped to deal with this. Just stay put."

With that, she left them to watch. She darted out and went straight for one of the desks nearby. She grabbed a letter opener and made her way around to the other side. One of Shane's vampire bodyguards blocked her way.

Wesley came out of hiding. He knew there were weapons hidden in the squad room. He just had to get to them. All he had to do was take out one of them so he could do just that. He was about to attack one of the vamps while its back was turned only to be stopped by another. The two of them tumbled to the floor, wrestling.

Gunn and Fred made there way down the stairs. Gunn vaulted over the edge of the second platform while Fred descended the entire staircase. Gunn engaged one of the bloodsuckers in battle, grappling with it. Gunn tried to get his arm around the vamp's neck, but it was stronger than he originally anticipated. It broke free and kicked Gunn across the room. Angered and agitated, it leaped over the desks and charged after him.

Gibbs and his team watched the scene that was unfolding before them. His team was split between excitement and disbelief.

"It's just not possible, Boss. It can't be. This has to be some kind of sick joke."

"Does that look like a joke, McGee?" Gibbs asked, watching as Cordelia took a horrible blow to the face.

She slid across the floor and slammed into the wall. She felt her face. There was an open wound just under her eye on her cheek. Slightly winded, she stood and charged again. The vampire came at her. She slashed at it with the letter opener, missing. She slashed again, this time grazing it's shoulder. It cried out and then kicked her in the stomach as protest for her actions. It came at her again, its fangs bared. She threw the letter opener at it. It ducked, It reached out to hit her. She twisted, grabbed it's wrist and back of the head in one swift movement like Angel taught her. She put all her might into smashing its face into a computer screen.

While it was recovering, she spotted a wooden ruler on one of the desks. She broke off the one end and stabbed it through its heart. A few seconds later, there was ash at her feet. She leaned against the desk, careful not to get broken glass in her hands, gasping for breath.

Fred watched as Gunn was kicked across the room. She cringed when he slammed sickeningly into the opposite wall. She hurried to help him, but her path was blocked. A female vampire stepped in front of her, grinning.

"Going somewhere?" It asked her. The female licked her fangs as though she couldn't wait to taste Fred.

The sound of a door slamming distracted them both. Fred and the female vamp looked up. Director Sheppard came darting out of her office. She leaned over the railing and gasped at the sight she was seeing. Her squad room was in ruins. She saw the face of the female vampire and cringed. Her eyes widened in fear and she shrieked.

The female saw the opportunity for a fresh meal and was about to indulge herself when a keyboard was suddenly slammed into her face. She stumbled backward and growled when she saw the object in Fred's hand.

"We're not done yet. You don't eat till I'm dead." Fred warned, sounding a lot more brave than she felt. She hadn't found their weapons yet and a computer keyboard would only wind her opponent for a moment. She couldn't let the vampire go after a member of the NCIS team that Angel was fighting so hard to protect.

"You're feisty for such a little thing. I guess you'll make a decent appetizer."

Across the room, only feet from where Gibbs and his team were hiding, Gunn had slammed into the wall, leaving a human sized hole in it. Gunn shook his head and stood. He stepped out of the wall and watched as his opponent charged after him. He saw the NCIS agents out of the corner of his eye and vowed to keep them safe. As long as he kept the vamps attention, they wouldn't get hurt.

He ducked as the vampire swung. It missed and he stood, returning with a well aimed uppercut. It took the hit with ease. It didn't even seem to care. It tried to wrestle Gunn to the ground, it's teeth getting very close to his neck. He was not about to become this things next meal. He grabbed it's wrist and broke it. He heard it snap. The vampire cried out, howling in pain.

Gunn took the opportunity to try out his earlier plan. He wrapped his arm around its neck, putting it in a head lock. He jerked his arm and heard its neck break. Once it was down, he pulled his auxiliary stake out of his boot and stabbed the vampire. He watched it turn to ash and then turned to see Fred in trouble. He seriously needed to teach that girl some martial arts.

Wesley was rolling around on the floor, a vampire on top of him. He was keeping him at bay, but wasn't strong enough to throw him off. The vampire was stronger and was overpowering him. He knew he was close to the hiding place he had found for one of the crossbows. He had a feeling that sooner or later they would be suspected. He knew that Gibbs would confiscate their weapons. He hid a few in a cabinet near Tony's desk on the opposite side.

He tried to reach for it. He could see it. The door was slightly open. If only his arms were longer. Angel saw Wesley needed help. He kicked Shane into the window, watching him crash through it. Sadly, it wasn't light out anymore. It wouldn't take him long to recover.

"Wesley!" He yelled, showing his friend the stake he had pulled from an inner pocket.

Angel tossed the wooden weapon toward his friend. Wesley locked his fingers together and jabbed the vampire in the sternum. It clutched its chest momentarily, which was all he needed to catch the weapon and stake the vampire. It screamed and Wesley covered his face as the demon turned to ash. Wesley grabbed the weapons he hid and tossed the crossbow to Angel.

"Cordy…" Wesley yelled, tossing a wooden stake and her favorite dagger her way. She caught them both.

Wesley, Cordelia, and Gunn came to Fred's aid. They surrounded her and the female easily. The female was holding Fred up in the air by her neck. She was clawing at the females hand, gasping for breath. Wesley had grabbed a small axe from underneath Tony's desk. He sliced downward and hacked off the vampire's hand. She screamed in pain, turning on them. Gunn threw the dismembered hand away from Fred and checked to make sure she was okay.

Cordelia staked the vampire with ease. The four of them, finished with the bodyguards, turned to join Angel against Shane.

Shane recovered from his journey through the window. He pulled several pieces of glass out of his side and back. He yanked more still out of his arms and legs. He leaped up the length of the building and landed on the edge of the window. He saw that his minions had all perished. Angel was now backed up by his team. Angel himself was standing there waiting for him, a crossbow pointed directly at him.

Shane grinned. He saw Gibbs and his team come out of hiding and stare at them. Getting at Angel was more difficult than he anticipated. He would be back and with more reinforcements. He slipped a dagger out of a hidden sheath and chucked it at Angel. He caught it with little effort and pulled the crossbow trigger. The second it would have hit Shane in the heart, Shane had already leaped out of the window.

"Are we going after him?" Gunn asked, holding his arm. It had broken when he had gone through the wall.

"No. Not now. I think it's time we got Gibbs and his team caught up first….don't you think, Agent Gibbs?"

They turned to see Gibbs and his team staring at the vampire still standing before them. Gibbs had thought they were too young to understand the harsh reality of the real world. Here, they were dealing with evils that surpassed even what Gibbs and his team dealt with on a day to day basis. This was all way beyond what they had imagined. A team of unspoken heroes stood before him, armed with weapons of a day long forgotten. Angel returned to his normal self, the cat eyes and fangs disappearing.

"I think that's a good idea." Gibbs agreed. It was going to be a long night.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Autopsy:**

Jenny Sheppard had followed Gibbs down to autopsy. He and his team were helping Angel's injured team down to see Ducky. He had sent the doctor down to get ready to administer medical assistance. Jenny was read in on the last couple hours and decided to stick around for the explanation and questions that Angel would no doubt answer.

Ducky met them at the elevator, gasping at the sight of Angel when he stepped out. The doctor's fear of the man still fresh in his mind after what he had previously witnessed. Angel couldn't blame him for the way he felt. It wasn't every day that you were face to face with a dangerous demon that could kill you with less effort than it took to open a stuck mayonnaise jar.

He ushered Cordelia out of the elevator and gave the skittish doctor a kind smile. Then he walked into autopsy behind his teammate. The others followed, Gunn favoring his left arm. Tony, Ziva, Abby and McGee followed after them. Gibbs and Director Sheppard were last to exit the elevator.

"Mr. Palmer, would you please see to young Winifred, please. She doesn't look particularly hurt, but she seems to have some bruising around her neck." Ducky asked kindly.

"Of course, Doctor." Jimmy obeyed and led Fred to one of the tables. She sat on top of it, cringing at the thought of what had last laid on the table.

"I will tend to miss Chase. Here, dear, sit at the table on the end. Our dearly departed Captain Taylor is still on the middle table. I'll have to put her to bed, give me a minute."

Ducky moved to cover up the Captain. The second he touched the white linen sheet, her eyes popped open. He gasped and stepped back, a few of his autopsy utensils falling to the floor. Her features morphed and she leaped to attack the terrified and paralyzed doctor.

Wesley tossed Angel's backup to him, returning the favor from earlier. Angel was at Dr. Mallards side within seconds, a speed that defied reality. Before the vampire could sink her virgin teeth into the man, Angel staked her. There was a surprised look on her face and then she crumbled into a pile of ash at Ducky's feet. Ducky looked up at the suave face. It looked a little guilty and sad, but mostly unaffected by what just happened.

Several moments passed, Gibbs and his team stunned by what just happened, before the doctor regained his voice.

"Thank you." He said, his voice shaking a bit.

"Don't thank me…if not for me, that woman wouldn't have been attacked in the first place."

Angel walked away and leaned against the wall near x-ray. He folded his arms and watched as his team was bandaged. Gibbs couldn't help but watch the vampire. The boy looked tired. He looked lonely even though he had the most loyal friends that Gibbs had ever seen. And he looked defeated. That confused Gibbs more than anything. The man had just won the battle and he looked as though he had lost.

"Thanks, Doc." Gunn said appreciatively. Ducky had just finished casting his broken arm.

It annoyed Gunn that he would be held back due to his injury, but he didn't intend to let this stop him from doing his duty. Angel needed him. No cast was going to get in the way of tracking down and beating Shane. Fred came over to him and sat next to him on the table. She inspected the doctor's work and then wrapped an arm around him possessively.

Wesley and Cordelia, less wounded than the rest, occupied the only two chairs within the autopsy room. All eyes were on them now. Though, they had known this was coming.

Doctor Mallard turned to Angel. His fear remained, but he pushed it away to ask him about what he had said earlier.

"I thought that you weren't involved in all this." He said.

Angel said nothing.

"What did you mean that…'if it weren't for you those woman wouldn't have been attacked.'?" He pressed further.

Angel sighed heavily, "I sired Shane. If it weren't for me…."

"Sired. What does that mean?" Ducky continued.

"I made him." Angel responded simply.

Ducky looked terrified. He took a step back from the black clad man. Wesley noticed his fear and stepped toward them.

"Wait, Dr. Mallard. You misunderstand. Angel is not very good at explaining things. Let me help. Angel is right, he made Shane, but that is not the proper term. Angel is blunt."

"Wesley…I don't mind. I understand why the doctor is afraid. If I were human, I probably would be too. You don't have to explain."

"But I do, Angel. He needs to understand. They all do, if we plan on working together to find Shane and kill him."

"You mean bring him in." Jenny said.

"No, I stand by what I said. This is not a human. He is a creature of the night. Vampires are killers. Angel is a special case. He has a soul," Wesley sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Let me explain. And please, no interruptions until I'm done."

Ziva and Tony raised an eyebrow at that and looked at each other, grinning. The Englishman had guts. They stood close to their boss and listened intently. McGee and Abby were propped against one of the tables in the middle of the room. Gibbs and Jenny were leaning against the massive steel sink, waiting more patiently than the rest it seemed.

Wesley continued, "Vampires are made when a human is bitten by another vampire. There is a certain technique. Not all humans are turned, some are pure and simple food. To sire a vampire, means that you take a particular interest in them. You turned them, you teach them everything you know. It's almost like a family thing, sort of. The reason that Shane is so damn good, is because Angelus taught him how to fight, how to hunt, how to stalk, how to charm prey, how to torture, how to kill. Angelus, yes in a sense made him. But that is the way of a vampire. That was when he was Angelus. Angel is a different man now."

"The gypsy curse right." Abby interjected.

"Correct. A very long time ago, Angelus attacked and killed a young gypsy girl. As punishment for his crime, the gypsy tribe cursed Angelus, giving him a soul…thus becoming Angel. With a soul, Angel was haunted by his own guilt due to the pain and suffering he had caused. His conscience returned. He would feel their pain, the guilt of what he had done. He understood that he was doing something wrong. But, he was still a vampire and needed blood to sustain his sanity. That is the curse of a vampire with a soul."

"Geez…" was all Abby could say.

"Today, Angel is a champion. He protects the innocent, regardless of species. He is a good man. A good vampire, and with the exception of one other individual, the only one of his kind. He look blames himself for a lot of things. Angel is trying to atone for the evils he has committed in his past by protecting the innocence of the future."

"That's awesome. Way to go, Angel." Abby cheered.

Angel looked at her with sad eyes, "I will never be able to atone for everything I have done. No one is capable of doing that. But I will fight and die doing exactly that."

"To us and to Angel, his soul is not a curse, but a blessing." Cordelia said.

They all stared at him. He didn't look like he appreciated those words, but his team knew otherwise. Gibbs stepped forward.

"Alright, enough with the history lesson. Let's get back on topic. Tell us everything you know about Shane."

"Angel and Gunn have been tracking his movements since his arrival in Los Angeles. We don't know what his original intent was, but now that Angel has gotten involved, his only goal now is to kill Angel. At first he tried to get Angel to join him, but when he refused Shane, Shane became angry. Now it's a race to see who is the best. Shane won't stop until he has killed Angel. Right now, he is torturing him. All these young girls he is killing and turning are to torture Angel." Wesley explained.

"How is that torturing him?" McGee asked.

Abby smacked him upside the head rather hard, "McGee! Angel is a hero. Protector of the innocent. How do you think he feels when he is too late to save another woman from Shane's clutches?"

"Sorry…I…I didn't think…"

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." Angel said simply.

"Thanks," Cordelia said, moving to stand next to Abby, "If you hadn't done that, I would have."

Abby and Cordelia grinned at each other and locked elbows. A friendship was going to brew there quickly. McGee massaged the back of his head, his eyes narrowed at Abby. It was very rare that he received any kind of physical retribution from anyone, least of all Abby. Tony and Ziva came close to him. Ziva lay a hand on his shoulder and Tony simply gave him a sympathetic look.

"Don't worry, Probie. We still love ya." He teased, ruffling what little hair his junior had.

Gibbs turned away from them, rolling his eyes, "So how do we find him?"

"He is easy enough to track. Gunn and I will patrol tonight. We'll find out where he is hiding. Wesley, Fred and Cordelia will work out his next target zone." Angel said, suddenly all business.

"You intend to leave us out, now?" Gibbs asked, slightly annoyed that he hadn't been included on the 'patrol'.

"Well, honestly, we only came here to work with you because we were protecting you. We needed an in to keep the vamps at bay once they were brought inside the building. Other than that, we don't really need your help. It's best you stay out of it for your own protection." Angel said. He moved away from the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Gibbs hands were fists, his voice tight in anger, "You are not leaving us out. He killed Navy personnel, he has to pay for what he did. It's my job to bring him in."

"You don't get it do you? Look, Pops. Shane is a vampire. He doesn't abide by laws and human rules. You think that he can't take you and an entire court room or state prison all on his own? He'll massacre the place. It's not safe. We don't intend to take him in. We intend to stake him. That's what we do. The world will be a safer place without him." Gunn said, jumping off the table.

"We're armed." Ziva argued.

"Yeah, with guns. Knives. That ain't gonna do no good. The only way to kill a vampire is to stake them through the heart with a sharp wooden object. End of story." He shot back at her.

"I'm sorry Gibbs. This is what we do. I can't let him run around free and putting him into the system isn't going to do any good. If you really want to…you can help us find him and fight him. But we intend to kill him. He's a vampire. That's all there is to it." Angel said softly.

"Fine. We'll help you find him. Just give us the weapons we need and we'll fight along side you. We could use your help." He agreed.

"No, you don't understand. We are not helping you. You are helping us. There is no way that you are going to be able to explain this case in a court of law. You might as well destroy anything that you have on this and mark it as unsolvable." Jenny was going to interrupt, but Angel continued, "As for fighting, I'll have to train you guys up a bit first before we go out. If you are going to help, you're going to need to learn how to fight my way. This is not like chasing after a human. You do as I say, got it?"

Gibbs was silent. He wasn't used to taking orders anymore. Once he had become a senior field agent, he was used to giving them. He supposed, for this case, he would have to follow someone else lead. He nodded his head.

"Fine. We will do it your way."


End file.
